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:

• 

  Good and Bad :( - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By ahmaduhhs - October 23 - 4:24 pm

  Owned the 2000 STS, 2001 STS, 2002 STS, 2003 STS and now the 05 STS. The interior is shameful compared to the 98-04 STS. The exterior however is marvelous particular the front and back end. Lots of standard features love the power of the V8 N*. Heard the V6 was no good :(

• 

  No problems - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By bukkyt81 - October 10 - 11:48 am

  I bought the 06 SRX in august of last year and i am happy with my buy. The car is very powerful and fun to drive. i have yet to have an issue with the car except to replace the rear wheel bearings which the warranty covered..

• 

  Computerized nightmare - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By jaymedic44 - October 4 - 6:17 am

  We bought the platinum edition, liked the different grille and wheels. As the salesman was showing my wife how to operate all the features all of the sudden the radio went to full volume. The salesman tried to turn it down but as soon as he removed his finger from the button it would return to full volume. They said it needed a software update and took it to the shop. An hour later he returned and proceeded with the demonstration and it did it again, not only did the volume increase on its own you cant turn it off. Well today it is making its 3rd trip back for the same issue plus some other electronic problems such as the seat memory wont work, Bluetooth connection is often lost and so on.

• 

  Nice car - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By carlover58 - October 3 - 9:59 pm

  I love the technology and style of car. It does pretty good on gas. Cons if you need a kick for speed 2.0 and higher are best.

• 

  Excellent Buying Experience - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By keithk2 - August 23 - 2:40 pm

  I recently purchased the new Cadillac XTS and was completely thrilled!!, I had been waiting for the release of this vehicle for quite some time now and was glad to see it was finally released. I had been working through one of CadillacÂ’s finest representatives (Mr. Chris Ferren at Crestview Cadillac), who had been working on this vehicle with me for several months, Chris was very diligent in keeping me posted on the XTS and periodically sent me supportive media to help me make my final decision. Finally, Chris actually brought the vehicle to my residence (can you believe that!) we then finished the paperwork and spent several hours going through the details of the XTS such that I could get completely familiar with all the new gadgets. Chris is an excellent person to work with and I highly recommend him to anyone that is in the market to purchase a new Cadillac, regardless of the make or model, heÂ’ll definitely do a great job for you. Keith Krause

• 

  good but not great - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By boweezy57 - August 5 - 8:22 pm

  has good power but driving mostly around suburban area I get around 12-13 mpg. I have 140k miles on it and have a traction control light on for no reason. Also, service transmission because of a bad sensor and its not worth the money to fix because the transmission would have to be dropped out. Otherwise, I love the car.

• 

  291,000 and still going strong - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By twee2 - August 1 - 3:02 pm

  I bought my 2005 CTS brand new in Oakland at the Cadillac dealer on Broadway. (Name changed years ago). I have 291,456 miles on my car and it is still running great for me. Most of the reviews talk about all the oil it drinks, this has not been the case for me. I get my oil changed between 5,ooo-7,000 miles faithfully. I did need to replace the transmission at 110,000 miles ($3500) but other than that it has been just the usual brakes, tires, and oil changes. I have had some minor things go wrong when it got in the 200,000 miles but other than that, this has been the BEST CAR EVER! People cant believe how many miles I have on my car. I keep waiting for something to happen but it hasent.

• 

  SRX w/20 Sport Package - runs great, looks great - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By dsowa - June 2 - 12:12 am

  I bought a used black 2008 V6 SRX with 28K miles this year. I added the 20-inch sport wheels and it looks fantastic from any angle. Must have been pampered by the former owner as its nearly flawless after over four years. I wish I had the Ultraview sunroof, but its one less thing to break in the long run. Potential buyers beware of water leaks around the back hatch that leave water in the tire jack storage well. Its an expensive fix (700+$), and thats if you catch it early and theres no other damage. Other than that one problem, I love this car.

• 

  A Bit of a Bummer - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By jmelquist - May 31 - 6:44 pm

  Owned or leased over 10 Cadillacs prior to my SRX AWD - always with a great experience ... unfortunately, this vehicle has been a disappointment. I liked the exterior looks - mpg ok however, should have checked the vehicles performance and technology out better - both a disappointment - not the standard I have come to expect from Cadillac. Found the vehicle to be noticeably underpowered - transmission shifts in a odd way at times - very irritating technology (e.g. front crash warning beeps in the garage when backing out in reverse, the front seat when you turn off the vehicle moves back automatically so far you would not want someone in the rear seat, etc).

• 

  BMW to Cadillac - 2011 Cadillac CTS
  By davo7 - May 25 - 1:59 pm

  Im a fairly young car enthusiast! In my past I have owned many Luxury vehicles, such as Saab, Lincoln, BMW, and other Cadillacs. This CTS is one of my favorite cars. I had a 3 series BMW AWD and loved the car, but after the warranty expired, it was time for it to go! So I bought the CTS preowned with 20,000 miles and the only complaint is the 3.0 engine. Its a great engine, but it lacks torque for those red light accelerations. Interior is superb, exterior is beautiful! If I was to buy this car over, I would look for the same car with the 3.6! But other than that I love my Cadillac!