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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  Barely a luxury SUV - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Triple R - August 9 - 7:46 pm

  I just got my 2005 SRX today and found it to be a decent SUV. It has a very attractive exterior and a decent engine. But one you get inside everything disappoints. The "leather" felt more like vinyl and their is way to much rubber and plastic everywere. The entire interior felt cheap. Compared to my parents Acura MDX has a much more luxurios feel and real leather. I found the engine to be annoyingly loud in comparison to the MDX. I did enjoy the handling of the SRX quite a bit though as it felt like I was driving my TL instead on a Minivan. My biggest gripe is the fact that my friends Accord (and naturally my TL) are much more luxurious then this "Luxury" SUV. GMs gotta work on interiors.

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  First Cadillac, no surprises - 2005 Cadillac XLR
  By Fibbidiboo - August 7 - 10:43 am

  Frankly, I must be naive. Thinking GM- the large bank that also makes cars- could compete with the finest autos from Lexus, BMW and Mercedes reveals a sudden lapse in judgment. Yes, the Eucalyptus wood is beautiful but the bin doors are pure Cavalier quality. Sure the design is provacative, but evidently engineer imagination must have been worn out by the time they got to the wheels. I mean do all new Cadillac shoes have to look the same? But the biggest clue to engineering misfires evidenced itself on a recent 1,200 mile trip in which the heat from the transmission tunnel fused my vitamins together in the trunk. And getting it to recognize the FOB so that I can start it is a hope/prayer.

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  Very Fast / Sips Fuel - 1995 Cadillac Seville
  By vicar - August 5 - 6:56 pm

  My 1995 Cadillac Seville does 0-60 in 6.6 sec., which is quick by any standard. There are lots of embarrassed hotshots driving Infiniti G35s, Infiniti FX35s, some elderly Camaros & Mustangs wondering what happened. Also, noted a number of complaints regarding fuel mileage - my experience is just the opposite- I cant believe a vehicle with this kind of performance gets 19.8 mpg in mixed city driving and 26 to 28 mpg at 70 to 80 mph on the highway. Amazing- or maybe I have a light foot. My 2005 Honda CRV gets 21 mpg in the city and 26 to 28 mpg on the highway and it sure doesnt crank like the Caddy.

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  2005 Dream Car - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By 2005 blessing - July 30 - 10:18 am

  My Caddy handles great on the road. It has better gas mileage than my previous Buick Regal. It is very roomy and glides on the bumps. I can accelerate and take the curves. I have made 2 long distance trips. Chicago to Atlanta and Chicago to New Orleans. It was comfortable. The New Orleans trip had 4 adult and one child. It was roomy.

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  Classic Caddy Style - 1992 Cadillac Deville
  By Frankie - July 26 - 5:12 pm

  This car has been very good to me in the 2 years I have owned it. Besides the normal repairs needed with this car (truck latch, power antenna, brakes, master cylinder, tune up etc.) it has been very reliable. As long as it is maintained, it will last a long time. My car has made the cross country trip more then once, and is still running strong at 160,000 miles. I still get many compliments on it today.

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  Very Happy with First Cadillac - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By David F. - July 25 - 5:16 pm

  This is my first Cadillac and third SUV. So far very happy! My SRX is fully loaded with sunroof, navigation system and rear DVD. Eveything works great. Had a problem with a vibration in the center console, but my dealership fixed it right away. I wish it did have better gas millage, but with any SUV you should never expect great fuel economy.

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  Interior - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Grant T - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Poor interior apearance, turn signal lever rough finish. Wood grain kit added really improved the interior apearance. Head rest on second row seats impair rear view on the interior mirror. For the price of this SUV, Cadilac could have done better on the interior.

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  most impressive - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By kessler - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Love the car. Impressive, ahead of its time. I get compliments averywhere I go, from people of all ages, Im 43 years old, and feel 25yrs old while Im driving this supper driving experience. I only wish I could get an automatic V8.

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  2006 Cadillac XLR - 2006 Cadillac XLR
  By John - July 20 - 1:41 pm

  My Cadillac XLR has no truck room. I parked the car in Soho, NYC to see peoples reaction on a Sunday afternoon. 30% of people stopped to look at the car and some took out their phone camera. It drives like a GM car, it does not have stiff handling. At high speed I want the stiffness.

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  Just Bought It! - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By Tiffany - July 19 - 3:29 pm

  I have only owned this vehicle for about a month now, but I can already say that I enjoy it very much. It has a smooth ride and is very comfortable. What I like the most about this particular Cadillac is its simplicity to operate the fancy features.