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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  Love my SRX - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By KEC 11 - February 10 - 12:56 pm

  Its great! No problems so far after 2 months. Especially like the platinum ice white color.

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  Not what I expect from a Cadillac! - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Margaret - February 10 - 12:12 pm

  This car has been nothing but a HEADACHE! It has been in for repairs more than any of the 8 vehicles that I have owned from other car makers. Seat belt, driver seat, sunroof, steering column, cylinder coil, catalytic converter, lower control arms, front rack and finally changed all engines rings and seals for oil consumption problem that they called normal. Cadillac knows there is an oil consumption problem with the SRX. They say it is normal, but this type of oil consumption is not normal for any vehicle. Do NOT purchase this vehicle! I will empty you wallet and the resale value is low. Our government should encourage them to recall these vehicles. At least Toyota took responsibility.

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  Terrible In Snow - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By Art Crump - February 10 - 8:41 am

  Initial driving and ride were very impressive. Did a little research prior to buying, and snow driving was rated?? Just below the Volvo? they must have been talking about the AWD, My RWD makes me want to take it back. Recent snow storms have immobilized the vehicle.

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  Caution, CTS may not be for you!! - 2010 Cadillac CTS
  By Gary - February 9 - 8:28 pm

  I purchased my CTS Premium AWD Cadillac two weeks ago. I traded a 2008 Cad.DTS. Would take my old vehicle back immediately. The seats are hard, the ride is so horrible my wife and I felt Ill when we drove from the dealer to our home (70 Miles).The cruise control will not hold within 3- 4 miles per hour.Service dept. said "thats the way the way it is" there are..no adjustments. The grille- bumper assembly on the front of the car does not clear the road by more than 3 to 4 inches. My wife turned off a main highway onto a service road, small dip, damaged and broke "plastic grille". Only 200 miles on vehicle. The position of this assembly is actually a safety problem in my opinion.

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  Smooth Crossover - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Andrew - February 9 - 5:21 pm

  I have owed my SRX now for two weeks, and I am very impressed. I feel its the best priced luxury crossover avail. I looked at the Q5 and MKX, and the SRX beat them on price by thousands with the options in the Luxury package. $37.7K MSRP with a bose system, moonroof, bluetooth, XM, push button ignition, power liftgate, remote start, and very well designed interior. After incentives I paid less than $35K, when a similarly equipped Q5 would have ran well over $45K required prem gas to get 12% worse highway MPG. The MKX would have been at least a $3.5K higher and the push button ignition is not an option not to mention the feel of the interior of the Cadillac vs the MKX. No comparison.

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  Luxury SUV - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By V Owner - February 7 - 3:26 pm

  Purchased this car despite auto magazine reviews. Test drove many luxury suvs. Best most comfortable interior I have ever owned. Power is more than adequate especially with sport mode. Outstanding long range tourer, very comfortable, very luxurious. Not a performance car but has adequate acceleration. For performance sedan purchase performance car like a CTSV or 5 series. If you want a luxury SUV, with good AWD,good SUV handling, with decent hauling potential and comfort for 4 this is a real value.

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  Caddy Deville - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By Christian - February 7 - 2:31 pm

  I purchased a 2001 Cadillac Deville (Base Sedan) in 2004 with 9,000 miles on it. It was purchased from a prominent local dealer, and it looked new, smelled new, and drove new the day I drove it off the lot for a total price of $25,000 including the 5 year 75,000 mile extended warranty. The car drove like a dream for the first 3 years, and was overall “problem free” as for the 4th year on, it has been extremely time consuming costly in order to keep it running sufficiently and looking good. The extended warranty on the vehicle recently ended in July. The company was exceptional. From the year 2004 to 2009 the warranty spent over $10,000 in repairs for this car

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  Initial impressions - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Scott - February 4 - 11:38 pm

  Have only had the car now for about a week. Less than 500 miles on it so far but so far so good. Just got a hitch put on it and the all weather floor mats and mudflaps. Turbo definitely gives it a bit more pep - but you should definitely drive for yourself to decide if the premium (and drop in gas mileage) is worth it. One gotcha that I have not seen mentioned is that the Turbo requires premium while the 3.0L engine can run on regular. Compared it with XC-60, RX350 - and decided on this for features and drive.

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  Florida STS Finds Happy Home in Canada - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Roger Wyatt - February 4 - 6:40 pm

  I have been a Caddyman for a few years now and my first drive was a 1500 mile trip from Fort Lauderdale.The ride was not as soft as my 02 STS but was solid....this car can handle as it is equipped with the performance upgrade.The V6 sprints down the interstates with ease.The powerplant performs very well,transmission shifts are not noticeable at all.The interior is well laid out and being 6-4 and 270 I had no trouble in finding a comfortable driving position. The navigation system is easy to read with the big screen and the 5.1 stereo system is wonderful.I do notice a marginal difference in power from the 02 northstar V8 but the V6 had no trouble in performing a quick passing maneuver.

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  Nine Solid Years - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By Happy Caddy Gal - February 4 - 3:43 pm

  Bought car new in Dec. 2000. Never any problems - only oil changes, batteries, and tires required. All gadgets still work great, but service engine light has come on - transmission torque converter code. Mileage has not dropped, but light still worries me. Since dealer wants over $3K to fix what is now a $5K car, I will probably buy a foreign luxury car (Lexus, Audi, Mercedes). Refuse to buy from any company that took government bailout money. GM and banks should perish for stealing from taxpayers.