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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  Excellent Luxury Preformance Value - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By Bill - November 9 - 11:07 am

  The Cadillac Seville is a poor mans 7-Series BMW. Why pay more?

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  Sweet Caddy - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By Thomas Adam Wilkinson - November 4 - 8:13 pm

  This is a wonderful car inside and out. Not your typical mid size sedan

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  By-gone style - 1992 Cadillac Brougham
  By Steeltag - November 3 - 10:40 pm

  My car now has 155,500 miles on it, but you cant tell by looking at it! I get thumbs up from strangers about every other day. I love the looks, surprisingly good build quality knowing 90s GM issues, and the way it rides. I love a full frame vehicle. This has been virtually trouble free car that has tons of room for lots of friends and luggage. I really wished I had a sunroof and the 350ci engine instead of the 305ci. Amazingly, I can get up to 25 mpg on the highway even with all those miles, stunning! It drinks the gasoline in stop-n-go traffic though, 12 - 17mpg. Every report Ive read says these motors/trannys are good for over 200,000 miles. My dads Caprice got that too.

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  4 Year 99 DeVille Owner - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By garageman - October 26 - 11:04 am

  The high pressure power steering hose began to leak at ~77,000 miles. Also, the plastic dash top vent is warping due to heat damage from the sun. This has been a great all weather Colorado car. Each time (four to my recollection) I was pulled over for a driving infraction the officer had issued only warnings...never a ticket! All of the gadgets work perfectly. My wife complained that she slid about in the passenger seat. Also, I ran out of gas twice because the digital gas gauge begins to accelerate usage feedback the closer it gets from two gallons left in the tank.

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  Tires - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By J.Stiles - October 26 - 9:57 am

  At 10,000 miles my STS developed a thumping noise, which was especially noisy at low speed. Our dealer diagnosed this as a tire problem and replaced (free of charge) our front tires. The noise dissipated to almost nothing, it is but still noticeable in the rear tires. I was a little surprised that the dealer charged us for a full alignment on the new tires.

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  Great Car - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By mcdphd - October 26 - 9:21 am

  This car is great! I love this car. It has good get up and go. It rides like a dream and is very comfortable inside.

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  Third Cadillac - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By PhantomCadillac - October 24 - 8:08 am

  I have had this car for a little over a month. I have put 4,000 miles on it. The ride is excellent. The nav system needs a way to update. The night vision is ok but not really needed. Back up sensors are a really nice touch. The rain sensors are a nice added touch. One problem already is the seloniod in the transmission has gone bad and it will cost about $2,000 to fix. This is my third Cadillac and I have enjoyed everyone of them.

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  2003 Cadillac Deville - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By John Herman - October 22 - 3:24 am

  Good car except that at 15000 miles, Cadillac had to rebuild engine/installed new pistons and rings due to high oil consumption. No problems since. Now have 38000 miles. Excellent road car. Not happy with the resale value. Depreciates too fast. If I buy another Cadillac, Im going to look for a late model with low mileage that has already taken the depreciation hit.

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  My Thoughts - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By Brian - October 21 - 9:09 am

  First two weeks with the STS have been great. I have come from driving imports for many years and felt like I was taking a chance. So far, only time will tell, I love the car. Feature for feature and in the price dependent the luxury imports cant compare. I have the V6 AWD and look forward to the winter snow. This car is super quiet and so far rock solid. It is almost freakish how many features that have been packed into the car and the first time that I have actually had to read an owners manual more than once to get a handle on all of the technology features and how to use everything.

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  Owned two Eldorados, Imagine that!! - 1997 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Ben Leone - October 16 - 9:16 pm

  I owned an ETC, after replacing the trany for 2500 dollars, and it leaked so bad I had to finally trade it in.The strange thing was it was crimson red and it was as fast as a rocket, like riding in a living room with rocket power. I lost money on that one and bought another crimson red Eldo today. Three years later, I missed it so bad. I hope this one doesnt leak like the last one but if it does, I guess oil is cheap. Drive safely.