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 - 1996 Cadillac Seville
  By WENCES LOPEZ - March 6 - 6:08 pm

  This car has everything that most of people look in a car. (style, name, great sound system,and performance.)

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  michael777s - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By michael777 - March 4 - 4:16 pm

  I love my 2005 Cadillac CTS. I wish that I had purchased the STS, or Deville, though. The CTS is too small inside for what im used to. Having said that, I enjoy driving my CTS every day 60 miles each way to work. I never have any problems getting around traffic with my CTS.

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  2014 SRX used - 2014 Cadillac SRX
  By Dan - February 26 - 9:40 pm

  Traded in 2010 Equinox for this vehicle so far only 1.5 miles per gal. different from a 4 cylinder to this 6 cylinder AWD and the ride is much bette. I am happy with this vehicle so far and hope that doesnt change

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  2005 Cadillac CTS - Great Car - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By cts cadillac 2005 - February 25 - 1:01 am

  I love my Cadillac CTS. I had a BMW X5, but I like the CTS even better. My father had one and I always thoght Cadillacs were an old mans car untill I test drove the CTS and I really loved it. The look is great and it is very comfortable. Go test drive one yourself. Believe me you will buy it.

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  1998 STS - 1998 Cadillac Seville
  By James Anderson - February 17 - 11:45 pm

  I love the ride, power, confort, style of the car. Things I dont like: It burns a quart of oil every 1,500 miles, have had problems with the heating and air controls from time to time.

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  Not ready for prime time - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Chris - February 16 - 6:35 pm

  This is my fifth STS. Great performance and style other than the added spoiler. Poor fit on the rear doors & trim. Bluetooth phone still not functional, traction contol is disengaged under sport shift - no solution yet. Various other glitches (remote start did not supply fuel, transmission stumble at low speeds). Trunk is quite bit smaller than the outgoing model. A potentially great car introduced before it was debugged.

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  1995 Cadillac DeVille - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By Tom C. - February 16 - 9:01 am

  I bought my Cadillac DeVille when it was a year and a half old. I replaced the fuel pump for $700 and the blower motor for $500. I think it was better when the fuel pump was on the side of the motor and rode on the cam (it was bad enginnering to install it on top of the fuel tank). I took this car to New York twice and averaged 26 miles per gallon. I have never touched the air condition system, it always blows ice cold, and that is saying something for here in Florida because I use it almost everyday.

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  Nice car. Runs great so far. - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By David Worthington - February 11 - 10:57 pm

  The used car prices are about 1,000 more then KKB or Edmunds states. It is a beautiful car, but it is 12 years old. I would recommend this car.

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  Used 1996 Cadillac Seville STS - 1996 Cadillac Seville
  By rob42240 - February 9 - 8:40 pm

  I bought my 1996 Cadillac Seville STS in 2001 and it had approximately 37,000 miles on it. I also purchased an extended warranty for it for $1,800, which at the time I thought was a little expensive. It actually ended up paying for itself. All of the problems with this car were fairly minor, but they seemed to add up. A water pump went bad and was replaced. One of the power window motors had to be replaced. I had all of the hoses and belts changed out, new brakes put on and I replaced the blower motor for the air conditioning (I wouldnt do it again myself - take my word for it, you dont want to do it). Oh, the compressor for the air conditioner went out and was replaced under the insurance. I have 107,000 miles on the car and I havent had any problem lately.

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  So far...so good - 1997 Cadillac Deville
  By Brian Braine - February 1 - 5:53 pm

  I traded a junky 2003 Cadilac Eldorado in 03/2004 for a 1997 DeVille with 57,000 miles. I am at 63,000 miles so far and am happy compared to my Eldorado experience for a modest outlay of $5,000 plus an Eldorado with 97,000 miles and blown head gasket that would have cost $1,900 to repair.