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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  Good All Around SUV - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By rocky92 - March 28 - 9:15 am

  My 2012 SRX is front wheel drive luxury model with 18 inch wheels. No problems after one year which is nice for an SUV with very many features that could go wrong. Good handling, quite, and good pick up for an SUV and I drive it aggressively. All around MPG is 20 to 21 MPG which is better than the AWD models.

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  2012 SRX Performance - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By madillini - March 19 - 12:40 pm

  Bought this car a month ago. Also considered the Lexus 350. It wasnt even close. The SRX seems much roomier inside and has many more nice features. The exterior is chiseled yet sleek, the interior is roomy and comfortable. Seats are very supportive and love the pull out thigh support on the drivers side. Havent used the GPS much but no problems with accuracy when I did. I actually like the push button parking break. Drive is very quiet, acceleration is quick, steering is responsive, shifting is ultra smooth, this car is a joy to drive.

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  Love this CTS GM got it right !! - 2009 Cadillac CTS
  By cmvcts - March 10 - 2:41 pm

  I have had this car since May 2009, and love it. It is fun to drive and havent had one problem what so ever. It has 74,000 miles on it and is at the dealer today, had them check it from the front end to rear end and it needs nothing !!! Still has the factory brakes on it !! The only thing I have done to it is oil changes and one set of tires at 74,000. I love this ride, cant get over this car, runs strong, and looks great. Love the black ice paint !! Great Job GM, I will buy another one in the future !!! This car was worth every penny I spent on it !!! Hennessy Cadillac in Duluth service dept is jam up !!!

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  Flat out best value in this segment - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By tomfoolery2 - March 5 - 1:51 pm

  I was hesitant to check out the American manufacturers and disappointed in Lincoln for sure (Chrystler doesnt even compete here). However, this car stood out as a giant slayer. I did exhaustive research and the ATS gives much more value per dollar than anything else out there. The equivalent German or Japanese cars cost significantly more. Were talking 20-30% more! At first I wanted to use my new gem sparingly but the more I drive it the more I find myself making excuses to go for a spin. Dont buy this car without the full CUE. Pony up and you wont regret it. Dont believe anyone who says CUE is unusable. I have had zero trouble.

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  exceeds my expectation - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By aries_driver60 - February 24 - 9:19 pm

  I have had the a t s Luxury 4wheel drive 3.6 for nearly 3 weeks now, it is amazingly fast. Very tight and sporty, the steering wheel is a little small compared to the 2006 Lexus 330 i traded for it and a totally different ride, but a great ride just the same a lot of fun to drive. i like the safety of Onstar, assistance systems for parking and backing. The Cue system does not work 100% well with my iPod..but it does work most of the time, by plugging into the usb port which tucked into the storage area in the dash board, which opens by gently swiping your finger on the bottom of the compartment. the downside of the C U E system is of course finger prints.

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  Nice ride .Great style - 2010 Cadillac CTS
  By mrsteve1 - February 21 - 3:47 pm

  Awd is a must and the exterior Crystal red is hot .The interior style works well for my 6 foot frame. Ultraview sun roof is very sharp. 3.0 engine is fine for me. Im no race car driver.If you want to race around go for the 3.6..Leather is nice quality and its my kinda car. Reliability is yet to be determined but I opted for the extended GM warranty well worth the 2000 bucks.Takes 87 octane running just under 20 city. Nice heavy car and doors feel like the old days strong and solid!If your looking for a sharp car this is by far it!If you want some real American muscle I would go for the CTS-V...Time will tell how she rolls... but so far I love it!

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  14 years old and still going strong - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By duraflex - January 11 - 8:02 am

  I have owned a 2000 Cadillac DeVille DHS for about 5 years. When a favorite relative passed it on to me, it was almost 9 years old and had sat unused in a garage for at least 2 years with just 22,000 miles on it. Professional mechanics told me I would likely have all kinds of very expensive problems with it and offered to take it off my hands and pay me $2000. GM was in trouble at the time but I decided to keep the car and take the risk. With the exception of replacing the battery, tires and overhauling the brakes - they were wrong about every other dire prediction. In 5 years, Ive spent about $5000 in repairs and maintenance on the car. Its been worth every dollar.

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  Excellent Machine - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By alexblackhawke - January 9 - 9:13 am

  Purchased new in Ohio while on vacation and drove back to Las Vegas. Averaged 28 MPG for the entire trip and was impressed with the long range comfort and handling. It wont burn off the 20" tires but lots more available acceleration than what was needed. All of the interior appointments are top quality and once you get used to the electronics, easy to adjust through the CUE system. After three months, had glove box closure issue and the dealer just replaced the entire mechanical and electronic component to repair.

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  My 20 yr old cadillac eldorado - 1994 Cadillac Eldorado
  By susieanne - January 7 - 10:05 am

  I love my 1994 cadillac eldorado touring coupe I have owned it for 10 years...Its a beautiful car and noone can believe how old it is...It has around 155000 miles on it...I have had to replace the air conditioner r compressor and some othe miner things But is is so sharp looking...I also have louder mufflers on it then the orginal and when you shower down on it it sounds like a little race car...It sounds great. My kids say Mom when are you getting a new car and Im thinking all the time my car is probably a better car than their new ones...still love it..,

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  My 2014 Cadillac XTS - 2014 Cadillac XTS
  By hmarron - December 29 - 10:54 am

  My 2014 Red Cadillac XTS was delievered in Sept 2013 and I now have 1500 trouble free miles on my car. I have purchased over a dozen new cars over the last 40 years and only my Porches were this reliable out of the gate. It is so quiet I accidentaly left the motor running when my wife and I went to lunch - it was still running when we returned - there is no key. It is a better value for your money than the Mercedes E Class, BMW 5 or the new 2014 Cadillac CTS Sedan.