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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  Nothing Better - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By Cadillacs for 20 yrs - July 9 - 4:12 pm

  I have owned Cadis since I was 17. I bought this DTS w/35,000 and now have 135,000. only issue was a power steering hose and one fuel injector. I will be buying another for sure. The ride is perfect even with 5 people in the car. handling is good for such a large sedan. power is great and I cant say enough about the Bose sound system. This is definently the best Ive owned yet. Had a 03 deville before this one and traded it in w/165,000 and did not have any serious problems w/ it either. Dark blue w/black int and get tons of complements. looks good sitting still and EVERYONE makes a coment about it under the nioght lights. absolutely beautiful car!!!

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  Best SUV Ive owned thus far - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By Arv - July 8 - 2:59 pm

  Had 95 Cherokee, 01 Exhibition, 02 Rendevouz, 04 Pacifica, 05 Tahoe, 04 Escalade, 08 Escalade, and now back to 07 Escladade ESV. Hard loaded, powerful, beautiful with 22" wheels, very dependable car that draws a crowd. My other car is a C-6 Corvette and both get lots of compliments. My 2nd favorite was the Pacifica but like comparing apples to oranges. My wife has an ML 320 that in no way compares to the Esclalade. Id rather drive my sons Kia Sportage than her Mercedes. We use the Cadillac for long trips and with two little girls the room in the ESV is fantastic.. Ill never buy another brand of SUV as long as Cadillac makes them this good!!

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  World Class Car - 2005 Cadillac XLR
  By David Toth - July 8 - 6:49 am

  This car blows the BMWs that I have been driving off the road. The XLR is fast, handles great, and extremely comfortable. I also love the bold design and I have been stopped many times by admirers of the car. Taking the XLR on road trips is a joy, allowing one to enjoy both the power and comfort of the car.

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  Great Car!!! - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By Richard - July 7 - 5:40 pm

  I love mine very few problems with it. I paid 5000 dollars for it used with only 28k miles on it and it was the best money I could spend it gets me to and from my work and two jobs I also use it for leisure travel on occasion and with all the time I spend in a car it starts to hurt my back in this car I rarely fell discomfort even after many hours. the only real down fall is when gas went up to 5 dollars a gallon and it cost me $120 a tank to fill it up, I cant say enough about how much I love mine

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  The Car of my dreams! - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By Megan - July 7 - 10:25 am

  Luxury at its finest. The most beautiful interior! Perfect size! Perfect everything!

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  Love the CTS, but forget the 2.8 L engin - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By NEDSTER - July 6 - 4:12 pm

  I previously owned a 2005 CTS and loved it. Lease was up so I purchased a used 2.8 with low mileage. Exterior and interior appearance is great as well as the comfort ride, however I just hate the 2.8L engine. I will be planning to get another CTS 3.6 as soon as I can.

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  The Best of The Best - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Noah Hill - July 6 - 3:17 pm

  I purchased this vehicle used. It was a very high mileage, but I got a steal. It has over 200k, runs like a dream. The CTS combines the luxury of a Benz with the handling and power of a BMW.

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  Great highway commuter car - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By Karl - July 6 - 1:30 pm

  I just got this car from Ebay a month ago with almost 170K miles. However, everything works as it should and the 300HP engine is still going strong when I paunch it to the floor. Used primarily as commute car to out-of-state job and have found it can do 28-29MPG on highway. For a 4600CC engine and 4000lb car, this is incredible. So far Ive put on 2000 miles and there is no issue at all. I have never thought a cheap 2nd-hand car can be this much fun and economical.

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  great car - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By sama - July 6 - 10:00 am

  great car a lot of thought went into design and comfort

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  Change is good - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By calicadi - July 4 - 10:00 am

  It was the exterior styling that snagged me. Read everything I could find on it for almost a year. Finally took a test drive and was sold. The size, balance and weight are properly handled by the engine, transmission and suspension. The interior is comfortable and functional, stylish without gimmickery. Fit and finish are excellent. Driving it is a real hoot. You can cruise around in regular auto mode or punch in the sport mode and get aggressive. It is hi-tech, so reading the owners manual is a must, but the payoff is getting the most out of the experience. After checking out the German and Japanese offerings, and the Lincoln LS, I chose Cadillac.