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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  TMS - 2004 Cadillac Deville
  By Rick Stas - July 13 - 2:00 am

  The car is comfortable and large, terrible paint quality ( fixed under warranty) Still not quite satisfied. tires had to be replaced at 500 miles because of bad vibration. Out of the Cadillacs I have had this 2003 deville seems to be the best feeling. The previous Devilles I have had steered like concrete trucks and left you tired after a road trip. The reason I buy these cars is because my wife likes them. Personally I would prefer a smaller quicker car. I have had 4 Devilles since 1992. and quite frankly the last two a 2001 and a 1998 were real garbage. This 2003 seems to be much improved.

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  ESV is outstanding - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By mikes truck - July 13 - 2:00 am

  Outstanding vehicle for a long drive. Very comfortable and user friendly. Good nav, great sound system, quality build.

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  My XLR - 2005 Cadillac XLR
  By Elizabeth Henderson - July 10 - 2:00 am

  I love my XlR, its sporty and goes very fast! Although, it has been in the shop for repairs many times! It had to have a new rear end put in, the air conditioner worked on and the speed control worked on. But all in all its a beautiful car, not for long trips not much trunk space and really not that comfortable after 8hrs. My husband thinks the drivers seat is very uncomfortable but I dont. I feel bad that I rated the relibility of it poorly, we have had Cad. for a long time and never had much trouble. Our dealer is very nice and always has a loaner car ready for us. Maybe because its so new we just have to get the bugs out.

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  Great sports/luxury car - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By sbsmia - July 10 - 2:00 am

  Great, fun ride. Somewhere between Lexus smoothness and BMW sportiness. Nice features in the interior. Air conditioning system needs work. Not as quiet a ride as I would like. Handles beautifully! Great lines. Standard sound system could be improved. Good room on the inside. Relatively small trunk. Overall - Id rate it a solid 8.

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  Happy with my choice - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By fergi1751 - June 29 - 2:00 am

  Overall, I have been very happy with my SRX. I love the handling. My kids and I really love the ultraview sunroof. The dvd player in between the seats is actually more kid-friendly in my opinion, than those roof screens. One complaint would be with opening the hatchback type back door. It is fairly heavy for me (a woman.)I feel like I really have to give it a good pull to unlatch it. It would have been nice to have a remote control door opener that "pops" it open. An interior driver side button to "pop" the back door would be nice also something similiar to a trunk release type feature.

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  93 Cad Sev Review - 1993 Cadillac Seville
  By AskTony - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Drives and handles like a sports car. All leather interior, cruise control, CD Radio.

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  Decent Car-"Service Engine Soon" - 1997 Cadillac Deville
  By marty m - June 17 - 2:00 am

  A really nice car even though it does not leave you feeling warm and fuzzy with the "service engine soon" light on, all of the time. I would not buy this car new but as a used vehicle, not bad. Tremendous highway vehicle. Great around town for a big car. Headlight problems after car wash ( what about the rain?). I like it but this car needs kid glove treatment to last. Not a car to throw into corners at 100 mph. Actually mine says "fuel cutoff" at 112 mph. Oh well, so much for the open highway. I would buy another one.

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  2004 CTS Nav Scrn Blinds Driver w/sun - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Ken Poland - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I own a 2004 Cadillac CTS with navigation system. The screen is so poorly shielded that the sun will cause a blinding light in the drivers eyes when it hits the screen in the moring or evening and reflects to the driver. I almost wrecked the first time this happened to me. I have since had the back windshield tinted very dark. My dealer and Cadillac ignorned my problem and complaints. Be careful if you have this configuration. The tint seems to help. Ken Poland

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  Problems with reliability, fun to drive - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By carman - June 16 - 2:00 am

  I was very excited to own this car, and loved it the first few months I had it. But then things started going wrong. It cuts off in the middle of traffic, and they cant seem to tell me why when I take it to the dealership. It also warned me that there was no oil in the engine during a horrible rain storm, forcing me to call a tow truck, but it turned out it was just a faulty monitor in the engine. There have been other problems with the electrical system. The car has been "buggy," taking some of the fun out of owning it.

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  First Caddy...Great Ride! - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By James Grant - June 15 - 2:00 am

  This is my first Cadillac, so far so good. I love the way this car handles! The CTS handles just like a sports car. I am also pleasanlty surprised with the power of the 3.6 V6. The drivers seat is very roomy, I am a 6 280lbs power lifter and I have plenty of room.