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:

• 

  Worth the wait - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Alex - September 12 - 2:22 pm

  In August, my wife and I were tempted to pounce on an Audi Q5 in order to take advantage of CARS but decided to wait for the 2010 SRXs to arrive instead. This vehicle has been totally worth the wait! (so far) If it were possible I would write in an 11 for "Exterior Design". You simply wont find better than this in the crossover class. The interior is stylish while not overdone. While the Q5 has a better navigation CPU/GPU, I find the retractable design and overall touch screen interface of the SRX to be superior. The ride is smooth and quiet while the throttle response and steering somehow maintain a high fun-to-drive factor. Q5? RX350? No thanks. Give me the 2010 SRX.

• 

  1993 Cadillac Allante - 1993 Cadillac Allante
  By Dan III - September 11 - 8:12 pm

  The 1993 Allante is the finest car Cadillac has ever built. It is too bad they didnt keep the line going. The XLR is a nice care, but doesnt compare to the Allante. Cadillac build some prototypes of the 1994, which had a fully powered metal roof, similar to the XLR. The quality of the interior and the exterior is unmatched by "normal" American cars. The only negative for the car is the semi-manual convertible top, however if you put it up and down a lot, it gets simpler and easier. I have been asked several times while stopped at traffic lights- what is it and how much do I want for it. It is a real head turner.

• 

  cadillacs are amazing ! - 2002 Cadillac Seville
  By inkjax - September 11 - 1:09 pm

  The 02 sls is just as Nice as my 96 etc. Not every car is perfect. Some do have issues. For the most part caddys are amazing cars with a huge history (except for v8-6/4 and ht4100) both huge piles of crap! The s series cars are well built and usually very very reliable cars. Fun to drive and easy to take care of. Vegas and nearly back on a tank with all the performance of a sports car! How do you beat that? (230 miles one way) that was nearly 28 mpg in full size luxury sedan. I have owned 75 caddys in my life and would recommend them to anyone who wanted an upscale reliable car. Amazing ! Thank you Cadillac!

• 

  "Disapointed" - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By pete m - September 10 - 8:24 pm

  I bought a caddy because my dad always had caddy"s, and said you get a lot more for your money. I bought it when it had 59k on it. But being a "cadllac"I thought this would not be an issue. I have had nothing but repair after repair, and to top it off, it use"s "oil"... The dealer has told me that using a qt. Every 2k miles is considered normal!And there was nothing they could do. Told the dealer, my next car will be a Toyota.

• 

  Lemon???? - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By sally_d_00 - September 9 - 10:09 pm

  When I bought my Cadillac Catera last year, I thought I was getting a steal. Little did I know, I was in for a huge expense. Within four months i had problems with the car skipping, then the sunroof would open on its own. Then within another three months I was paying for a Cylinder to be fixed. It was misfiring. BIG EXPENSE!!!!! But wait theres more. Last month, I had to pay for my seals to get resealed. $600.00. They shouldnt need resealed at 93,000 miles. Now, my steering wheel is acting up. It is clicking and LOCKED up on me while I was driving. I would NEVER recommend this car to anyone!! Ever!!

• 

  oil fire! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By oil fire! - September 8 - 4:38 am

  My car caught on fire from a leak in the valve cover, and the fire messed up the wiring. Since then all kinds of funny things happened. The radio worked when it wanted, the gas cap and the trunk switch locked and would not open. I liked my car because it was small and supple to operate, but when the expense of fixing it became too much, I traded it off for a Buick. The final straw was the failure of the engine module which left me without a running car, and a wait for the new part. I have pumped a lot of money into maintenance but this was too much. The reliability was not good so I sold the car... Hated to see ol flame go, but it has gone to the great beyond now

• 

  One Year Update Review - 2009 Cadillac CTS
  By MJLx2 - September 4 - 12:47 pm

  One year and 17,000 miles ago I bought my 09 CTS. What a phenomenal car. Fun to drive, not a single problem, and still a head turner. Highway mileage has averaged 26 - 29 mpg on road trips - using regular gas. Truly a terrific car. The AWD was outstanding throughout last years Chicago winter. The car is still tight as the day I bought it. The 304 hp engine is quick and powerful with a deep growl when you jump on it. My previous car was a Lexus ES 330 and before that an Acura TL. Without question this is a much more fun to drive and stylish car with the same reliability and quality of the competition. Would I buy this car again? - without hesitation.

• 

  Greatest caddy i have ever owned!! - 1993 Cadillac Deville
  By mycaddy - September 3 - 4:54 pm

  Bought my car at 99,000 miles at 101,000 miles the trans went out on me 4.9L great motor lots of power,comfort and interior styling love the car not bad on gas mileage but not great. handling and brakes are great a lot of trunk room not expensive to maintain great motor though i really love this car and is gonna restore it to like brand new its white with a blue top and blue interior love my caddy!

• 

  Fun at a great price - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By Has the Power - September 3 - 2:33 pm

  Purchased this car used with less than 30K miles on her. Have own her for 7 years and it is the most comfortable car I have had with lots of bells and whistles on her. She is a fun car to drive.

• 

  Transmission transition twitchy! - 2016 Cadillac ATS
  By Alfred McMullen - September 1 - 6:23 am

  When I got the got a few months ago, I was more excited about the electronics than the feel of the car. A few weeks into driving I discovered how erratic the transmission shifting was--you can actually feel the car going into gear and ,in some instances, the engine downshifts, which I consider unsafe. Even with disabling the "stop engine" mode, you can feel the noticeable changes in shifting. It is an unsatisfactory ride and I have owned or leased over 40 GM cars.