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 Car - 1991 Cadillac Seville
  By Joel - July 18 - 2:42 pm

  I purchased this car used with 162,000 miles on it. The previous owner did an excellent job at maintaining it. For its age, the car is great. The interior has held up well. The paint still shines and the car has incredible power. With the exception of the sentinel lighting, all of the power options still work. Overall, it is very well built, with no mechanical problems.

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  Transmission! - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Chris - July 13 - 1:54 pm

  My STS transmission is awful! When downshifting, it has trouble finding a gear, especially when you want to re-accelerate. It makes for a very rough ride. At speed, its okay. Also, its voice recognition is poor. The electronics are too complicated, too. The learning curve is fairly steep. I also dont like the adaptive cruise control. Bluetooth is a joke as well.

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  Nice Ride - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By Bill Foo - July 11 - 2:05 pm

  I traded in a 2004 Infiniti FX35 for a Cadillac SRX because my wife found the ride on the FX to be too harsh and the cargo space lacking. The SRX rides as one would expect a Cadillac -- very smooth and soft, yet the handling is quite acceptable. Oddly enough the FX had better gas mileage. On a round trip from Long Island, NY to Allentown, PA I achieved 18 MPG on the SRX averaging 70-80 mph. Similar conditions with the FX yielded 21 MPG. The last time I owned an American car was in 1982. Ive gone foreign ever since. GM has done something nice here to win me back. Overall Im very pleased with the purchase, but wish the acceleration to be slightly better perhaps I should have gotten the V8.

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  A Real Attention Getter - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By phillpxlr - July 6 - 7:47 pm

  My Cadillac XLR is a real head turner wherever it goes. If it is in the same lot as a Porche or Mercedes-Benz SL500, people are only interested in the XLR.

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  1990 Cadillac Eldorado - 1990 Cadillac Eldorado
  By cpdhenry - July 5 - 11:26 pm

  I bought this car to be an every day driver to work and back (40 miles a day), and it has been far more than I expected! It has the coldest air of any vehicle I have ever driven (which is nice since I am in Arizona -- and I have driven over 50 different vehicles), and it has more power than I thought it would have!

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  Overall Great Truck - 1999 Cadillac Escalade
  By caddyman - July 4 - 1:29 pm

  The 99 Cadillac Escalade is a great truck. This is my second vehicle so it has way more than I was used to. But after you get used to it you cant drive in anything else. You get looks in it like no other vehicle, probably because Im 19 years old, but thats besides the point. If I could give one bit of advice, put a chrome grille on it, that makes it look 5 years newer. I like the 5.7 Vortec engine a lot. Its acceleration is great considering the weight of the vehicle. Its 4 wheel drive is also very capable, I have tried it in sand and accelerated like I was on dry road. The Bose radio also impressed me with its volume as well as sound quality. I just added subs to give it a little extra kick. Overall I would recomend this truck.

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  Amazing Vehicle - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Mark - June 30 - 4:49 pm

  The 2006 Cadillac CTS has great handling and is fun to drive. My CTS has been an amazing vehicle since day one. The big V6 engine, great sport tunned suspension, and top notch braking make this a great vehicle. Not to be left out what drew me to this car in the first place, the CTS styling is unmistakble. Even a few years out of the stables its still going strong and gets looks everywhere I go.

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  My new Honey Bunny - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Lorie Francis - June 28 - 11:17 pm

  I just bought my 97 Cadillac Catera. I am not sure about it yet. It has a really fancy aftermarket CD player that I am still trying to figure out how to work.

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  Switched - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Arturo - June 26 - 10:38 pm

  I had to have the the fuel tank in my 05 STS replaced, the fuel gauage repaired, and replaced the main module that controls the memory. I was informed after purchase that the DRL will not function if you opt to engage the auto rain sensing wipers even if the manual indicates that you can.

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  Why doesnt Cadillac Listen! - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By Bobb - June 26 - 10:24 pm

  My new STS is a well built alternative to the off shore crowd. I find it to be a quiet car with enough power to give it that "fun"factor." All in all, I am satisfied with the vehicle. That said, there are many shortcommings with the car that Cadillac never should have allowed to pass. The storage inside the car is just pitiful. The glove box is not large enough to fit my gloves in! The center console is tiny and there is no back seat storage to speak of. But it is the electronics that really sour my opinion of the car. Voice recognition? Not my voice. Want to use your Bluetooth phone? Not while you are moving. Change your destination on the Nav? Have to stop the car! This is simply a stupid design.