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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  CTS A FUN RIDE - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By LE - August 3 - 2:00 am

  Interestingly, people have rolled down windows at stop lights to comment or question inspected by walking around my car in parking lots stangers asking at gas pump "would you buy it again? does it measure with your deville? Whats it really like? Never before have I had a car to get so much attention. Additionally it handles well, drives almost as smooth as a heavier car. We tried the volvo, lexus and many other cars in its category and found cts to offer more.

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  what a shame - 2002 Cadillac Eldorado
  By mwm - July 31 - 2:00 am

  nothing but problems since new.the quality of this car is terrible.it is such a great looking car.

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  2013 SRX4 - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By Brian Sprowl - July 27 - 4:52 pm

  Beautiful vehicle. Style is unmatched. Ride is totally Cadillac. Performance is very good. Gas mileage is okay. Electronics are only questionable area. Need to have the whole entertainment center replaced due to touch screen malfunction. Very expensive.

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  not a bad car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By blckriv - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE the looks of the car, gas economy is mediocre at best, but have have had a lot of compliments on the appearance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Discusted customer - 2004 Cadillac Seville
  By James McCabe - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Car is very confortable on long trips.It handles good,until I try to go with trafic and get up to 82 to 85,than the car vibrates,not real bad , but it is still there. the dealer has worked on it, but with no succes. The car is beatiful at lower speeds.

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  The Best Car Ever - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By ProudCaddyOwner - July 26 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car in May of 98, pratically new It had 34k miles on it. The moment i drove it i fell in love...it handles great....this car has taken to and from Arkansas many times...and never once has it acted in any way like it was going to overheat...even with 105,672 thousand miles....the car has been great...mechanically i have only had to replace the O2 sensor and the fuel sensor both at 75k miles....other wise.....i cant think of anything i replaced....but here recently we almost lost her...we were in a bad wreck...we didnt think they would fix her up....but luckly the retail on a cadillac is really good...

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  more bang for your buck - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By Dennis - July 18 - 10:27 pm

  We bought this car when it was two years old, with 7,358 miles on it; paid 40% of what it sold for new. Its been an excellent highway cruiser ... still gets compliments on its appearance, comfortable ride and quietness.. The low profile tires make for zippy cornering, but our previous Cadillacs had taller tires that gave an even better ride ... too bad hot-dogging sells vehicles these days ... all the TV ads show cars being driven as if they are toys, expensive macho playthings instead of transportation.

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  Last of the Great American Cars - 1991 Cadillac Brougham
  By David Rosa - July 16 - 2:00 am

  I like it. Wire wheels really dont live long lives!

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  No Lumbar? - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By Jim Alabach - July 14 - 2:00 am

  ery happy with car overall, although we have one major complaint being that the driver & passnger seats do not have lumbar adjustments which are quite important to us due to back problems. Cant understand why a car costing $58,000+ cant include this. Also why are running boards not available. We short people have a hard time stepping up to get in. Can we get answer from Cadillac regards this? Would slso like to see the second seat with warming gridfor passengers.

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  The 2003 CTS - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By jooh kool - July 13 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this for my wife & I have been trying to get it from her ever since. The leg room for passengers is very tight and for a luxury car there is to much noise. (wind & engine) I have made two long rode trips an enjoyed each one, handles very well,love the navigation system. Most of all,the "LOOK" of the CTS is outstanding.