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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  Superior to LS460 - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By dino - February 18 - 4:39 pm

  This is a fantastic vehicle. Worlds ahead the previous model. Excellent performance & much quieter at high speeds than the LS460 & superior seats.

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  Great car! - 1996 Cadillac Seville
  By stsgirl96 - February 17 - 4:48 pm

  I have a 96 STS pear white. I bought it used with 160,000 miles. I am its 4th owner. I have owned alot of cars and I have to say by far that this one is the best. Yes, maintenance on these are quite expensive, but so are lexus and bmw maintenance. I think this is a great quality car. I have had alot of the same problems as others but I still love this car! Its a personal preferance. Either you love it or you hate it. I love it!

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  This is not your grandparents Cadillac - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By chelsialyssa - February 17 - 4:39 pm

  I love this car! It is gorgeous. Truly beautiful. I had a 2006 MB CLK 500 Convertible and love my new Cadillac more! It is so plush, nice to drive, makes me want to take my time to get where I am going. Love the keyless entry - dont need to dig in my purse with a handful of groceries to get my keys, the door just opens! AND you can play DVDs for the kids in the Navigation system! I purchased the fully loaded all leather, black/black automatic with the bigger engine! The navigation system is really nice - huge screen and love the traffic reports! Dont lease this car - buy it - because you wont want to give it back!

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  Traded in our 2006 Lexus 400h - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By crossbuilder - February 16 - 1:58 pm

  Im 75 years old, have owned countless cars, and this is the best all around vehicle to date. The Lexus 400h [yes it rattled]was the 2nd worst, which barely beat out the 1974 Chevy Vega.

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  It Is What It Is - 1990 Cadillac Deville
  By jamespg1 - February 16 - 9:54 am

  Perfect. Drives great and does not want you to turn off the key. This car is so smooth and user friendly that you just dont want to ever stop driving. I have no plans for selling this 1990 Caddy. The four door and space available can not be traded for anything.

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  First Luxury car! - 2007 Cadillac STS
  By DawnHouse - February 15 - 8:33 pm

  I have only had my STS for less than a month, but so far I fall in love all over again every day! I have had an H- 2 for two years, which I thought was luxurious until this Cadillac! This car is easilly the favorite of anything I have or ever will have. The ride is incredibly smooth, like butter, I cant imagine how the V-8 STS could accelerate much faster than my V-6 because it is FAST, and the overall handling is to die for. The XM radio and the OnStar are things I dont need but use often. I think the pearl white (White Diamond) paint was the final selling point for me, as it is stunning. I bought my 07 brand new in 08, saved quite a bit doing it this way & would definately reccomend!

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  CTS by JFD - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By JFDCPA - February 14 - 10:00 am

  Got tired of waiting for the new Acura TLs to be released and so I bought my CTS instead. What a great move! It rides well, looks great, and is fun to drive. And all of this for a reasonable price. My past experience with Cadillac was not a good one (I owned an 87 Eldorado). However, this one is looking like it is going to be much better.

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  The Big Sipper - 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
  By Brak - February 13 - 10:00 am

  It aint a Prius, but I am getting much better city mileage than in my previous CX-9. I have been pleasantly surprised that I have not given up much in terms of acceleration but gained so much in luxury, comfort and space. The legend is (not from the dealer but my research) that this is one of the "bail- out mobiles" driven from Detroit by the GM execs that were blasted for flying the private jets. A bunch of them came off lease and I got this for $11k-$13k below retail (according to Edmunds and KBB). Looks a lot better once I got all the blasted "Hybrid" decals off. We are in love with the Big Sipper.

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  I love my SRX - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By CindyB - February 12 - 9:45 am

  I got exactly what I was expecting when I purchased my SRX. I rented a 2007 model while on vacation and fell in love with it. I got back from vacation and bought one four days later. I bought it fully loaded and do not regret my choice.

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  We are buying a 2nd 08 CTS! - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Karen Toone - February 11 - 11:21 pm

  My husband purchasd this car through a company car leaseback program which does not allow anyone else to drive it. After sneaking around in this vehicle for the last month, all I can say is "wow". I became obsessed with the ride of this car, and we are now leasing a silver/black fully loaded unit due to arrive in March.