Overview & Reviews

Owned by General Motors, Cadillac is America's most prestigious domestic luxury automaker. For most of its existence, the company was known exclusively for its cushy, senior-friendly sedans, but in more recent years the automaker has revised and expanded its lineup in a successful effort to attract a new, younger generation. Cadillac's roster now includes SUVs (its Escalade is a favorite of both rappers and suburban moms), a crossover and even a high-performance wagon.

Born in 1902, Cadillac was founded by Henry Martyn Leland, a manufacturer of automotive components. He named the company after a noted French explorer who discovered Detroit in the early 1700s. Leland helped create one of the company's earliest offerings -- the Cadillac Osceola, noted for being the industry's first concept car and the first closed-body car made in America. Only one Osceola was made, but it helped spark a trend; closed bodies caught on and spread like wildfire through the industry.

Cadillac quickly gained a reputation for specializing in precise craftsmanship and for using standardized parts. The success of early Cadillacs like the Model A and the "30" made the brand a sales success, so much so that the automaker was purchased by General Motors in 1909. The marque became GM's luxury division, and its list of innovations grew. Cadillac was the first U.S. auto manufacturer to produce a V8, the first to use thermostatic control of a cooling system and the first to offer dash-controlled headlights. During the 1930s, the brand earned a strong reputation for producing powerful and smooth V12 and V16 engines.

Soon after World War II, Cadillac history hit a high point as its tailfinned and chrome-laden cars became the epitome of American postwar automotive style. Cadillac's tailfin took its cue from Lockheed's P38 Lightning Aircraft, and was the brainchild of designer Frank Hershey. Vehicles like the Coupe de Ville and Fleetwood El Dorado made Cadillac a staple in upscale neighborhoods and among the Hollywood set.

By the 1960s, Cadillac's flashy tailfins had given way to a new styling cue: vertical taillights. This attribute was in evidence on one of Cadillac's most successful new cars of that decade, the Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Fleetwood offered luxury features that were cutting-edge for its day, such as fold-down writing tables, footrests and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel.

The gas crunch of the 1970s, however, started a downward trend for the company. Cadillac's Titanic-sized behemoths that ruled the highways in previous decades were increasingly out of touch and out of favor. Cadillac responded to the changing times by downscaling the dimensions of many vehicles in its lineup. Despite this smart maneuvering, the automaker's fortunes suffered in the late '70s when it unveiled a diesel engine that quickly earned a reputation for spotty performance.

The 1980s saw the redesign of the Seville, a vehicle whose unique bustle-back styling sparked a trend and inspired its share of imitators. That decade also witnessed the rollout of the Cimarron, a small car that was essentially a rebadged Chevy Cavalier, the latter an economy car not exactly known for excellence. Understandably, the Cimarron never caught on with the public. Things got worse when Cadillac launched a series of underpowered, unreliable V8s during the first half of that decade that, along with the notoriously unreliable diesel, cost the automaker thousands of customers, millions of dollars and immeasurable damage to its reputation.

By the early '90s, Cadillac started a major turnaround as it brought out redesigned, stylish models with vastly improved engines. Shortly after the new millennium bowed, the company adopted its "Art & Science" design philosophy. With styling cues that included sharp, almost severe lines and stacked headlamps, Art & Science was first seen on Cadillac's 1999 Evoq concept roadster. By the mid-2000s, this bold new look had reinvigorated the company's sales, and was seen on hits such as the Escalade SUV and the CTS sport sedan.

This fresh styling, coupled with improvements in performance and overall product quality, has done a great deal to help Cadillac recover much of its previous status. Today's Cadillacs, which include coupes, sedans, crossovers and SUVs, are known for offering powerful engines, chiseled lines, sharp handling and a full accoutrement of luxury features.

User Reviews:

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  Get your facts right - 2016 Cadillac CT6
  By Jay - January 23 - 6:06 pm

  After reading one review, it seems some people simply are clueless . The CTS was first introduced in 2002 as a 2003 model. It was a nice car, not great, but through the years,the car has changed with each generation getting better. The new CT6 is a great car,especially for the price. I have driven the Lexus, BMW,Mercedes, etc.Some of which may be a slightly smoother ride,but i can not see a huge difference. The CT6 quality, materials, overall, build are very nice.

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  10 years running - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By Md driver - January 23 - 7:53 am

  I bought mine new in 1999. 10 years later its still going strong. 142,000 miles on it now. It had a few issues in the first 50,000 miles, all of which were covered under warranty, a leak in the trunk, the seat heater broke and a leak in the sun roof. right now the only issue is it needs a quart of oil between oil changes and the ABS needs repair.

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  American Dream - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By merlincat - January 21 - 6:08 pm

  Bought out of an estate sale with only 24k on it. Virtually new 4 year old car. Its every thing a Caddy should be. Heavy, big, roomy, plush, and you can get 4 bodies in the trunk.It gives you that aaahhhh feeling at 80 floating down the interstate. She gets almost 29 mi/gal on cruise at 80 and thats in the Rockies at 7000 ft! So sad the big Caddys are going away for BMW size posers. I imagine they are fine cars but the American dream sled will be another thing we Americans did really well and quit. Got caught in a Colorado blizzard and the heavy 350 sitting over the front wheel drive made her move like an Abrahms tank through the snow. Amazing. If you can find a clean one, buy it!

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  A very Sexy Look - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By John santoro - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I have owed alot of cars and this is the best car ive bought.

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  2004 CTS - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By JBamonte - January 21 - 2:00 am

  So far an excellent experience driving and maintaining.

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  Fantastic Car - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By George - January 18 - 1:09 pm

  Love to drive this car great handling and comfort. But had problems with head gaskets had to replace them and oil leak. It does burn oil. Would love to have a newer model without head gasket problems and oil use.

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  Great truck - 2005 Cadillac Escalade
  By great truck - January 17 - 8:48 pm

  We have a 2005 Escalade that we love and have never had any trouble with. We travel a lot and always take the Escalade. We also have a Range Rover sport and the comfort is nothing compared to the Caddy. Never any trouble with the Caddy, but feel the 2008 are getting terrible reviews and we dont know what to buy next. Looking at the Mercedes GL450. If you have an older Escalade, they were made much nicer than the new ones.

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  Real Head Turner - 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By kirk - January 16 - 3:46 am

  The ride is much more comfortable than my GMC Denali. It handles and responds well.It has plenty of storage room.It accelerates great and corners well. I would recommend this truck (luxury vehicle) to anyone that asks. However it could stand some improvements to compete with the imports.

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  Catillac CTS A Quality Car! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Rich - January 14 - 8:08 pm

  My 2 neighbors have the CTS. They are both very pleased with the performance. I purchased 1 month ago and driven the car another 2,000 miles! My car had 22,674 miles on it. The drive is smooth and quiet. I traded a Toyota Solara. I cant believe the ride difference. I also have a 2005 Acura TL. The Cadillacs ride, feel and quality so far are better than the Acura! The gas mileage is the same as the Acura at 23 to 25 mpg combined highway and city. The steering wheel controls are excellent. The car is tight and looks brand new! I have the Navigation with Bose system and XM. Wow it has fantastic sound. The two tone seats and wood trim, make the car stand out!

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  90 Cadillac Deville beast! - 1990 Cadillac Deville
  By VINNIE - January 13 - 5:47 pm

  The 1990 Cadillac Deville is one of the best American cars in history! I just got this car from my grandparents with a little over 153,000 miles. Even with the high amount of miles it runs great. I pretty sure the water pump has gone out though. The car will rocket to speed very eaisily. It gets about the same gas miliage as my brothers 1994 Chrysler LHS ant it only has a 3.5 litre V6. Overall the 1990 Cadillac DeVille is a great and reliable car.