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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  GREAT CAR FOR THE MONEY !!! - 2004 Cadillac Seville
  By donbilly - December 7 - 6:39 pm

  I have the 2004 cadillac sls and the car has giving me nothing but great service and even when there is a few times that the abs , brake and traction control light comes on.... the car has never fail to performe. This is a real plasure driving soecially in the highways gas economy is awesome and response on the engine is truly amaizing

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  Thoroughly pleased - 2014 Cadillac CTS
  By sammyboy542 - December 4 - 11:03 am

  I have always been indifferent towards Cadillac cars. I have never found them all that exciting. This car has intrigued me since it was introduced earlier in the year. I was in the market for a mid-size luxury car stepping up from an Audi A4, and after comparing BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Cadillac, this is what I landed on. Obviously this is subjective, but I think the styling is absolutely stunning. The drive is very engaging when you want it to be and extremely comfortable when commuting. From my experience of riding and driving multiple Cadillac cars in the past this is the first time Ive ever been compelled to purchase a cadillac car myself -- at 29 yrs of age.

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  The best Caddy yet! - 2014 Cadillac CTS
  By bulog - December 1 - 8:26 pm

  I traded on my 08 CTS 3.6 performance for a 14 CTS 3.6 Luxury with options. I absolutely loved the 08 and this one is even better. The interior materials are well done, rich and luxurious. Car rides very solid, much quieter cabin. Loaded will all sorts of technology. Upon test drive the 2.0T 4 cylinder 6 speed was plenty powerful, packed a punch and will be adequate for most drivers. I chose the 6 cyl 8 speed as was used to and should make driving even more fun.

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  2013 ATS Base - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By joeyfernando26 - November 24 - 12:15 pm

  I leased the 2013 ATS back in August 2013. After looking at the BMW 320i, Mercedes CLA, and Lexus IS250, I had fallen in love with the ATS when I test drove it. No, its not the 2.0T or 3.6, but this little engine really is peppy once you step on the accelerator. The only complaint is that I never achieve the marketed MPG, I only get around 18 driving to and from work and school. Other than that, I LOVE this car!

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  FIRST CADILLAC - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By pops5x - November 9 - 5:27 pm

  We bought this Performance fwd model for the Mrs daily "around town" car about six months ago. Our friends and family love its snappy looks which draws a lot of attention. Its exciting to drive and ride in. Powerful engine/transmission drive line. Sporty handling, comfortable seats and ride. Lots of room in front, but legroom in rear is tight when front seat(s) are all the way back. Beautiful, luxurious, quiet interior. The CUE system? Well, just like our iPhones its a fun challenge, and we are conquering both. We wouldnt want to do without either.

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  remarkable car - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By ls8 - October 20 - 12:30 pm

  Have the 2.0T with CUE, etc. Have been driving it in the city and have been very impressed, but drove it for first time in N Ga mtns this weekend and was amazed. Rather than fighting tight curves, it dives into them. Scary fast acceleration to pass with no lag or hesitation. Easy to pass someone on a two lane and look down and see that you are doing 100 all within a couple of seconds. CUE took about one day to get used to and now I wouldnt want to go back. Interior makes my previous BMW interior look like the 80s. Functionality and sound quality on the CUE stereo is outstanding.

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  xts first ride review - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By ofcc63 - September 12 - 8:32 pm

  purchased 2013 xts premium 500 miles ago, so far so good. inside all materials are of premium quality. cue system was a little tough, now very user friendly, very quiet and stable ride, and i feel it has plenty of power, i dont see where you would need more performance. it really gets up and goes, and am getting 28-30 mpg highway. have had many new vehicles in past 5 years, and this is as good or better than any hi line import vehicle including mercedes or audi. technology is far better than any, and the price for what it is, is a real bargain hands down. if you are looking for a great deal best car in the segment, drove all competitors.

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  King of the road - 2009 Cadillac Escalade
  By motorcity11 - August 31 - 11:41 pm

  I bought the truck new in 2009, 4 years and 60k later I have not had a single issue, this is in part cause I take extremely good care of her. I read all these negative reviews on here. it has been my experience that most people are cheap when it comes to vehicle maintenance and to rough when operating them ,when something goes bad they blame the make or model when its really the driver that caused the issue.

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  Excellent First Effort by Cadillac!!! - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By oshkosh49 - August 13 - 8:10 pm

  Ive had this car for a few weeks. And its everything I was hoping it would be, and more. Ive been reading for the past 30 years in Car & Driver and Motor Trend about how great the driving experience of the BMW 3-Series was. During all of that time I was hoping like crazy that either Cadillac or Lincoln would develop and produce a direct competitor to the German entry level sport sedans. Lincoln hasnt yet, Cadillac finally did. Kudos to GM for not dropping the development of this model during their bankruptcy. The ATSs handling and steering feedback is just amazing. The ride is what you SHOULD expect from a compact sport sedan. Hey, its not your Grandpas land yacht!!!

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  Cadillac mid size suv - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By colby_butler - July 13 - 11:34 pm

  I had this vehicle for about 2k miles. I found the steering heavy at slow speeds probably based on the all wheel drive system. Brake pedal is a bit heavy although that may be because this model is quite heavy. Weighting in just under 6k. Despise small flaws this luxury model SRX comes with lots of toys. Heated steering wheel and seats. On star and XM radio. Backup camera and both rear and front parking sensors. The front parking sensors comes equipped with an on off setting as well. This model can be completely keyless. The doors has sensor touch on the all doors allowing access into the vehicle with the key fob in pocket. Keyless start and automatic rear lift gate.