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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  Cool Caddy SRX - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Dave583 - March 13 - 12:56 am

  My new SRX has to be one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. Super sleek and fun to drive. Very quiet ride under normal conditions and very comfortable too. Love all the bells and whistles and that super cool pop up Nav / systems screen. I have the AWD Performance package and it drives well in the snow. I test drove 3 different models and liked the Performance one the best. Yeah, its not the fastest or quickest out of the gate, but boy all the rest of the features and the LOOKS more then offset that. After all, its an SUV not a race car and I have not had any problems merging onto the highway. I just need more free time so I can drive it!

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  first cadillac - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By ky cadillac - March 12 - 1:18 pm

  First time owner of Cadillac and could not be more happy with SRX. Fun to drive, looks great, lots of convenient accessories. Just about every day get some type of compliment on it from other folks.

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  Sold on Caddy - 1996 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Eldorado man - March 11 - 9:11 pm

  I love old muscle cars and I own a lot of them because of the power and performance that I thought wasnt available anymore. WRONG! This car has true power that you will not only see and hear but FEEL too! Aside from the performance, the styling and luxury of this car is incredible. Its definitely a head knocker. Not to mention the classic quality that you would expect from Cadillac. I would recommend this car to anyone who wants a FUN and reliable ride!

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  I love it - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By Kareem - March 11 - 8:06 pm

  For a car thats 10 years old it still turns heads. I did my research on the northstar before i bought it and heard nothing but horror stories. but at 143,000 miles it runs perfect. it runs so good i wonder if the engine or trans has been rebuilt.but with the high mileage Im prepared for something to go wrong.

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  Nice try - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By stewart - March 9 - 6:37 pm

  This was my first Cadillac and I was excited. Wow, that feeling has changed. The car is way underpowered and the gas mileage is terrible. You would expect one or the other but not both. I love the styling but knobs have already come off and the electrical system has already been worked on by the dealer. I originally bought this for my wife but she refuses to drive this anymore. Oh well, it is great when you get the "I told you so." In the snow it has done ok but terrible handling in the rain. Already changed the tires once and little improvement. I wanted to help out and buy American but I think this car needs a lot of work over. Back to the Mercedes dealer and never again.

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  Bad engineering - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By roxnter - March 9 - 3:29 pm

  I have never liked this car, but my wife loves it. Excessive engine noise, makes it sound faster than it is. Very stiff suspension. Fine on curvy roads, but very annoying in town. You feel every bump. Cheap interior and tinny sound when doors close. Just normal repairs until recently when alternator belt failed, chunks of which got under the timing belt throwing off the timing and ruining the engine (bent valves, heads to machine shop & unknown damage to pistons. What kind of cheap engineering allows the timing belt to be dislodged by a alternator belt failure. Should just run out of juice & stop. I was afraid this Caddy was going to do this some day. Last GM product Ill ever own.

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  1st Cadillac, Great Car - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By Matt - March 9 - 1:39 pm

  This was my 1st Cadillac. I purchased it new in Dec 09. It was on the dealer lot of 1.5 years and I got a great deal. After reading all of the reviews, was worried about build quality and reliability. I have been very happily surprised. Ride quaility is #1, handling and V8 performance are great. I am in my mid 40s and looked at Lexus, Infiniti, MB. The caddy, for the price, exceeded those other car makers. My younger friends have all been impressed with this car and are looking a Cadillac instead of a BMW or lexus. I hope that GM will continue to improve the model. At this writing, I dont think I will purchase anything but a Cadillac again. I have been very satisfied.

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  Fun car, lots of problems. - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Jeff - March 9 - 1:10 pm

  Let me start by saying I do like the car. However Ive owned it for nearly 3 years and its in the shop every other month. So far Ive replaced the catalytic converters, the oxygen sensors, the battery, the windshield (cracked for no reason), the dashboard, rear shocks, the water pump, tie rods and the passenger seat airbag sensor. This is in addition to normal maintenance such as brakes, tires (of which Ive need to put 2 sets on) and oil changes. Also it burns oil at about 1 qt every 2000 miles, I found this out after I nearly ran it out of oil and the computer shut the engine off (there is no light indicating low oil). I like the car, but I probably wouldnt buy another.

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  lovemytank - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By Gingin66 - March 6 - 1:34 am

  I am so spoiled by the ride of this car. So smooth, so easy to handle. So quiet a whisper can be heard. Very stylish and somewhat timeless exterior. I felt so safe inside that car. In 10 years it never let me down. Only replaced ac fan. Had minor problem with abs system which fixed itself if I turned car off and restarted it, thats all. In ten years! Hardly used oil reasonable gas mileage. I sold it to buy new cts. Big mistake, no problems with cts but really noisy ride and uncomfortable. Kept thinking Id get used to it but alas, . I miss my old caddie every day which is why Im here on this site checking reviews on the 2002 dts.

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  roll in style - 1990 Cadillac Deville
  By don sorello - March 4 - 4:24 am

  Great car. I paid 1 grand 6 months ago for it for a starter car. It sat in some guys drive way for 2 years, I put a new battery in it and it fired right up after I cleaned all the birds nest and hornet nest from it. just took it on a 3000 mile round trip and ran great with 125,000 miles on it. got about 24-26 miles to the gallon and get about 19 around town. It seems to lose hub caps and trim every time i drive after i take out of the shop.