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:

• 

  Great car - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By Mike M - June 28 - 1:34 pm

  I bought this car used with 45000 miles on it. Purchased a 100,000 mile extended warranty. This was a great car to own until the mileage hit 100,000. Then it started to cost me a lot of money. The car had constant oil leak problems which apparently are common with the Northstar engine. Some of the interior components are low in quality for what you expect from a Cadillac e.g. cup holders, garage opener knobs, seat adjustment controls. All broke. Other than the reliability issues, this was a great car to own. Powerful and smooth drive. Nav system, rear parking sensors, wiper sensors, leather seating are all great. Some parts are no longer available after 10 years.

• 

  Extremely Comfortable Road Car - 1993 Cadillac Allante
  By babylac89 - June 27 - 9:00 pm

  When I first bought my Allante from the original owner it was strictly for the beauty. Cadillac has one of the best Pearl White paints on any vehicle. I was absolutely surprised at how smooth it was over the previous Allantes without the 295HP Northstar engine. The handling and the performance is unmatched. Its truly ashamed that just when Cadilac finally got it right, the Allante was done. I personally see it as a world class automobile, like the Mercedes SL and anything from Lexus or Infinity. Given more time, and with the Northstar engine, the Allante would have found its true audience! But I am seriouly happy to own this piece of automotive history!

• 

  Finally GM Got it right...For Now - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By Old Red - June 27 - 12:17 pm

  I purchased two new GM vehicles in 2008, a Cadillac STS AWD and a Silverado 1500 LTZ 4WD. The quality of workmanship was the best Ive ever seen in my 53 years of owning and driving all kinds of cars. 0 defects, good fitment, quality throughout. As good over better than any foreign car or truck Ive ever been exposed to. Thinks I, "Theyve finally got it right".

• 

  TESTED AND WAS HOOKED - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By SAINT - June 27 - 2:00 am

  I SAW ONE AND HAD TO GET A BETTER LOOK. TOOK THE WIFE ON A TEST DRIVE AND I WAS SPEECHLESS. IT HANDLED EVEN BETTER THEN ITS FRESH NEW LOOK! I ORDERED ONE AND NOW CANT SLEEP AWAITING MINE TO COME IN.MY WIFE HAS A MB-C-SERIES AND I LIKED THE LOOK AND RESPONSE OF THE CTS MUCH BETTER.

• 

  Best Truck out there - 2003 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By SLT - June 26 - 12:10 pm

  This has got to be the best truck I have owned! I bought it used to see if they are really truck worthy and yes they are! Great power, comfortable ride, all the bells and whistles, and beautiful looking! Get a lot of compliments from a lot of people. Does awesome in the Colorado snow, went up some hills that I didnt think I could go up, but it cruised right up with no problem!! This is the all around vehicle for families. Towing, running around, or just cruising, this is the ultimate Cadillac. I will most definitely be getting a 2009 model soon! Love these trucks!

• 

  Good ole American Muscle! - 2009 Cadillac CTS
  By welcomeperformanc - June 26 - 10:06 am

  I havent even looked at american cars in 27 years! Finally checked out the CTS with DI. Great looks and performance. I tired of my 04 Lexus with a terrible tranny problem that they wouldnt adddress. It had zero performance. I was missing my 1972 GTO! i bought the CTS 3 weeks ago and i love it! I would put the quality up against any of the foreign manufacturers. I have the thundergrey and had people come uo to me in parking lots and say"wow, what kind of car is that"? GM has hit a home run with this line.

• 

  enjoyed the car - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By cindy - June 24 - 6:19 pm

  The only problem with this car was the mirror on drivers side had locating problems.This was fixed.otherwise great experience.Put 20s on and looks great.Rough riding due to the low profiles and all the mechanisms in the seats, but wonderful vehicle experience.

• 

  Better have deep pockets or skills - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By StillRidinClean - June 23 - 5:59 pm

  Bought my first and highly sought after Caddy. Almost half below market value but with an AC problem. $120 got me a small part and fill, AC works fine. Love to drive this beauty around and have fallen in love with the Northstar. Ive also won me a fair share of races, lol. But problems started occuring. Engine overheating (Was lucky enough to have friend fix), Serpentine belt (lost control of steering) $80, and just the other day the car wouldnt start despite a full charged battery. Did I mention the car is now accelerating funny, transmission? So, If you are skilled enough to do your own work you are going to love this car. If youre going to considering buying, be sure to check history.

• 

  Best bang for the buck - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By BPatel - June 23 - 3:42 pm

  Bought Used SRX, got a very good deal as American cars depreciate a lot. But so far enjoy the ride and features. It Drives like a Sport sedan, Handles like one and it does get noticed in parking lots. Seats are very comfortable, 3rd row is good for kids. UltraView SunRoof has kept kids happy to watch high rises, stars and planes! Bose Audio reproduces every note on the CD. Gives Decent fuel economy

• 

  I will trade SRX when select the new car - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By Aleksey Toporkov - June 23 - 2:51 pm

  Steering wheel can not be adjusted towards driver. If you like to have steering wheel close to you and you are tall, knees will push against the dashboard and keys. Seating is rather sports car than SUV (legs will be very high). TERRIBLE leg room for the front passenger - check the narrowing on the left. Navigation system is lousy: touch screen is very non-responsive, route (pink) is colored almost the same as the other roads (red), very frustrating - trying to find something on map manually with assisting windows popping up w/o need and making the search area narrow. 3rd row seating only suits small kids. 2nd row mid seat tall passenger bumps head against switches. Resale value - disaster.