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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  Frustrating Problems - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By c_rey4 - March 21 - 8:05 am

  I purchased this car used with 38k miles and a clean CARFAX report. I was very happy with the vehicle until I hit the 58k mile mark. My check engine light came on at this point and I discovered my thermostat quit working. After doing some research online, I found this is an overwhelmingly common issue. Before I got the car in to be repaired, the engine started making a terrible "wobble" noise. All of the bearings went bad on the front of the engine. I decided to replace the thermostat, tensioner pulley, and water pump myself. 5k miles later and my thermostat is bad again. My AC compressor seized at 70k miles as I was driving on the highway. $2k in repairs this year alone and I did the work...

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  CTS Oil consumption issues! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Building4Bri - March 20 - 6:23 pm

  Buyers beware - please do your home work when purchasing a CTS Cadillac. Especially between 04 - 06. I own a 2005CTS - 3.8 They have oil consumption issues. As a ( ton ) of other Cadillac owners are finding out the hard way, this is a very serious issue. My Cadillac runs and looks great. God has blessed us with ours still running but I have to add a quart of oil every 2 weeks. After I bought it I realized why the previous owners traded it in. The dealer ship obviously did not advise us of this issue. We took it in multiple times before I had to find out on this web site that many, many others have had the same issues and theirs wasnt a quick fix. I simply have to just check the oil every wk.

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  Great comfort even for BIG GUYS - 2010 Cadillac DTS
  By PT crusher - March 20 - 6:03 pm

  Just picked up an 08 DTS, I was driving a Dodge Ram. Ive always had Trucks because Im a big guy (65" 270lbs), so I need a lot of leg room. The bouncy, loud and overpowering ride of the trucks had to go. The DTS offers plenty of room, power, comfort, and its just a nice looking car. If I had to compare ride of the DTS. Think if you spent 30 year sleeping on the floor, and you just got a top of the line pillow top (King Koil Matress). You sleep would never be the same you wouldnt want to get out of bed. Thats what driving the DTS feels like. Comfort and smooth ride like you wouldnt believe. A++

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  Amazing American Car - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By pelicanbay225 - March 19 - 10:30 pm

  Ive had this car for about 2 and a half months and this is absolutely amazing. I have the 3.6 L engine and acceleration is great and handling is also quite sharp, not to mention the turning radius on the car is one of the best out there. This car is super smooth at fast highway speeds and is a good looking car. When you compare it to other European cars in its class, this is hands down the best bang for the buck. This sure isnt just an old mans Cadillac. Im in college and I love it. This is proof that Americans can make superb quality cars. The newer generation models look 10 times as amazing. The CTS is definitely the greatest American car on the market today.

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  Great SUV with a few quirks! - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By z costello - March 19 - 10:28 pm

  I really do like my Escalade. However I am thankful it is still under warranty. I have had it in for several small but annoying reasons. Not sure why but the armrests become loose all the time. I had to get the center caps fixed do to squeaking issue. The radio/cd player will shut off every now and again for no apparent reason and the door latch became disconnected so you couldnt open the rear door from the inside. No, the child lock feature was not engaged. All problems were fixed but I only had 8000 miles on it when all this happened. The armrest issue seems to be the only problem that seems to not get handled. Other than that its a great looking truck with tons of power. Would buy again

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  It drives like a kitten at slow speeds - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By Jon Hardinger - March 19 - 9:50 pm

  First thing I noticed was the excellent control at slow speeds. No more ramming into snow banks, no more racing into my garage and braking! It rolls out of the driveway and almost comes to a stop to go forward on the street without braking. It handles like a kitten at slow speeds and that is the best I have seen in any car.

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  Costly repairs! - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By mr.flowers - March 17 - 9:10 pm

  I puchased my cts just feb. 17, 2010 from a pretty reliable sounding private dealership. Exactly 1 week later the engine light came on. I bought the car with a warranty so the diagnoses was it need a THERMOSTAT and a WATER (something). $748. That night the light came back on. took it back, left, light came back on. This time the sensors need to be reset. same thing happened. after 4 times with this back and fourth in 2 weeks, Im next gonna try a back yard mechanic since the dealership cant fix it! Go figure

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  Oil burners - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By Paul Zobel - March 16 - 8:01 pm

  After purchasing our third Cad I am just as disappointed in the area of engine reliability that it makes me sick. The engine is now burning oil to the tune of a quart every 100 miles or so. I have found other owners who have the same complaint and it looks like I will have to take it in for an overhaul. It only has 45,000 miles on it and yet it uses this much oil. There is no leakage nor smoking that I can see. I dont think we will ever buy another Cadillac.

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  Beautiful Car - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By SH - March 16 - 3:20 pm

  A wonderful car to drive. It handles well in city and highway conditions. A great car for long drives: very comfortable seats, good standard sound package, low highway noise. Most important to us was its heft: we wanted something luxurious that would handle well enough, but also provide safety. The CTS is a good trade-off of performance and safety. We totaled it on a patch of ice and everyone emerged without a scratch. Even as we were spinning into the trees, we felt fully confident of the protection the car offers. And grateful for OnStar.

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  2010 SRX Cadillac AWESOME SUV gets 9.3! - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By PC 100 - March 15 - 10:44 pm

  The 2010 SRX I purchased is the "Luxury" model and it has plenty of power, get up and go and is agile as anything I have ever owned in the past (BMW 535i, Acura MDX, Mercedes 300, we are a 3 car family). The fit and finish is tops, the styling is beautiful, the drive is so precise and RR Tracks dont make us rattle inside, awesome handling characteristics. This car is loaded with so much stuff its hard to imagine how they did it for the price. I never thought Id buy a Cadillac (BMWs and German engineering or Acuras and Japanese reliability where my game), but I think that they finally got it right and I feel so good about owning an American made car. The SRX beats the competition!