Rolls-royce Cullinan
Wraps are off luxury brand’s groundbreaking first SUV
“Specially developed air suspension provides Rolls-royce’s magic carpet ride over the very worst terrain”
British brand’s first SUV V12 power, 4WD standard
THE inexorable rise of the SUV has finally reached the pinnacle of luxury motoring – Rolls-royce – with the launch of the new Cullinan marking a number of firsts for the British brand. Not only is it its first SUV, it’s also the first Rolls-royce with a tailgate and the first model that the company is happy to say is family orientated.
The Cullinan claims to set new standards at the top of the luxury SUV market. It’s a proper go-anywhere 4x4, too, but with the mantra that it has to be ‘effortless, everywhere’. And the price? Expect to pay around £230,000.
In the metal, the Cullinan is surprisingly shapely and smaller than you’d expect; at 5,341mm, it’s only 2mm longer than a Ghost, although it’s 216mm wider, at 2,164mm. It also sits 80mm lower than a long-wheelbase Range Rover.
That striking bodywork is the result of five years of design work and the instruction to “go big”, according to design boss Giles Taylor. “We didn’t want to be shy, we wanted a functional aesthetic look,” he told us.
The grille appears bigger than ever, sitting further forward than on the Phantom, while the front lights are inset slightly. Also inset are the rear lights, but without a chrome surround so they appear integrated with the bodywork.
The three-box shape, with its two-stage tailgate and collection of horizontal and vertical lines, is a development of one that at one stage was actually a booted SUV. Also available at the back is a fully automated ‘viewing suite’ with two seats that fold and swing out of a cassette in the luggage area and sit over the rear bumper for owners to sit on.
Without the viewing seat there’s 555 litres of space, rising to 600 litres when the luggage cover is removed, with a maximum load length of 2,245mm.
There’s the choice of a three-seat folding bench for a maximum luggage capacity of 1,930 litres, or two luxurious fixed chairs. Either option sits higher than the front seats for a ‘Pavillion’ view ahead, while Rolls-royce claims more rear space than in a long-wheelbase Range Rover.
There’s also the usual array of pretty much any combination of the very best woods, leathers and metals available inside – dependent on taste. Getting in to the back is via typically Rolls-royce rearhinged coach doors that, like the front doors, clamp over the sills to prevent you getting dirty as you climb in and out.
This is very much a driver’s RollsRoyce; a functional dash layout features a symmetrical facia and simple connections, plus Rolls’ version of BMW’S excellent idrive infotainment system. The very latest technology is all present and correct, including night vision with pedestrian and wildlife detection, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems.
The Cullinan shares much with RollsRoyce’s flagship, the Phantom, including its 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine and the all-aluminium chassis that’s referred to as the Architect of Luxury.
The V12 has been specially tuned to deliver 850Nm of torque from 1,600rpm, while peak power is rated at 563bhp. Rolls-royce doesn’t quote a 0-60mph time, but the top speed is 155mph. There’s four-wheel steering as well as four-wheel drive.
Not many Cullinan buyers will be too worried about the 18.8mpg economy or CO2 emissions of 341g/km, but the Architecture of Luxury platform has been built with electrification in mind, and is set to underpin every one of Rolls-royce’s future models.
That chassis features a doublewishbone front axle and five-link rear end with air suspension that gets larger air struts than on the Phantom. This creates more air volume to provide Rolls-royce’s magic carpet ride over the very worst terrain. Of course, the car will also drop down 40mm for what Taylor told us provides “easy access for all”.
Engaging the Everywhere button between the front seats will change the car’s settings, ready for what is claimed to be the most serene ride over the most
challenging surfaces anywhere in the world – including UK potholes.
A stereo camera in the windscreen monitors the surface and will adjust the suspension accordingly, while the navigation system will also prepare the gearbox for the road ahead with its three-dimensional mapping. If you want to get your Cullinan wet, you can do; it has a maximum wading depth of 540mm.
But why did Rolls-royce finally decide to build an SUV? “Phantom will remain our ultimate flagship and the pinnacle of luxury, Ghost is the younger, successful entrepreneur’s choice of mobility and Cullinan is the third component and will attract younger, more progressive customers,” Torsten Müller-ötvös, Rolls-royce’s CEO, told us. “It’s the most versatile, family-orientated luxury SUV and very different from anything you’ve ever experienced in a Rolls-royce.”
If you’re lucky enough to have your name down already, first deliveries of the Cullinan should either be at the end of this year or early in 2019.