Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Overview

The Cullinan is the first Rolls-Royce SUV or as they would call it a XUX (X for luxury) since the birth of the brand in 1906. It is named after the largest rough diamond found befitting the largest Rolls-Royce ever made. Its presence is definitely no joke. The Cullinan faces the Bentley Bentayga directly and maybe the Land Rover Range Rover in the high-end SUV segment. Price begins from RM 1,800,000 without tax (roughly RM 3.2 million with tax) in Malaysia.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Exterior

At first glance, you can see the unmistakable silhouette of the 8th Rolls-Royce Phantom because the Cullinan gets some of its design cues from its sibling such as the front grille and the headlights. Both the front and rear have LED lights with Daylight Running Lights. The famous symbol of Rolls-Royce, the Spirit of Ecstasy can be found on top of the massive, hand-polished stainless-steel grille. This ornament can be raised or lowered with a press on the infotainment screen, depending on the situation.

Rolls-Royce claimed this is the first SUV to have a three-box design, similar to a normal sedan. The boxes are the front, body of the car, and the boot. The Cullinan’s massive size, high posture, and boxy, angular front give it an intimidating presence. Moving to the side profile, there is a line starting from the front fender all the way to the rear fender and most would assume that this is a stripe decal. However, similar to how the whole car is hand-built, this Coachline Paint is also hand-drawn with a special brush. 

Just like any Rolls-Royce, the Cullinan inherited a coach doors format a.k.a. having rear suicide doors. These doors need to be opened manually but can be closed with buttons inside the car and there are umbrellas placed inside the rear doors. The Cullinan is riding on 22-inch rims and although this is an all-wheel drive SUV, the tyres used are a staggered size of 255/45 for the front and 285/40 on the rear wheels. Rolls-Royce uses their magic on the wheel hub caps to allow the logo on it to be always in the upright position. 

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Interior

The interior of the Cullinan is as Rolls-Royce-esque as it can get and the entire cabin’s material can be summarized with just three words: leather, wood, and metal. A combination of the usual soft leather and a new “Box Grain” leather, a material often used on Italian high-end handbags and luggage. The metal used is actual pieces of polished metal and not chrome-plated plastic. The shiny bits can be found all over the interior. As you would expect, the cabin is posh, luxurious, and well decorated.

Seat configuration is either the Lounge Seat (five-seater) or the Immersive Seat (four-seater) variants. The Lounge Seat has space for three passengers and the seats can be folded (a first for the brand) by pressing buttons located in the boot or rear door pocket. As for the Immersive Seat, two individual seats are separated by a fixed rear center console. You will find a drinks cabinet with Rolls-Royce whisky glasses, decanter, champagne flutes, and refrigerator, integrated inside the center console. These seats can be electrically adjusted to suit your desired seating position.

The instrument panel is half digital where the rev counters are digital and instead of a tachometer, there is a Power Reserve meter. Unique to Rolls-Royce, the Power Reserve meter tells the driver how much power is available for use. While relaxing on the comfortable leather chair, you can look up and out of the panoramic roof to do some stargazing. It is the biggest panoramic roof fitted on an SUV and it feels like sitting in a convertible car.

The boot offers 560 liters of storage space and if the Nappa leather-wrapped parcel shelf is removed, you get another 40 liters of space. It has soft carpet for the lining of the whole boot. Access to the cargo space is via an electronic split tailgate called ”The Clasp”.  

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Features

The climate control is a unique part of the cabin. It raises the class by wrapping the dials for the air-con in leather and uses the word soft instead of low when indicating fan speed. The temperature is adjusted with the use of blue and red sliders. Sliding to blue for colder temperature and red for hotter temperature. This is a throwback to older Rolls-Royce models that makes the interior look classic. The rear gets its own air-con control and air vents on the center console and on the B-pillar.

Luxury aside, the Cullinan doesn’t come short of safety features. Driver Assists available for the SUV are active cruise control, front collision warning, cross-traffic alert, blind spot detection lane departure, and lane change warning. Night Vision and Vision Assist, which includes daytime and night-time Wildlife and Pedestrian warning, a four-camera system with 360-degree, panoramic, and helicopter view. You could zoom in and view the angle for door opening.

The main infotainment is displayed by a 10-inch touchscreen and features a reworked BMW iDrive system. You can also access the system with the buttons and dial on the center console. The dial accepts handwriting as an input as well. There are eight shortcut buttons below the screen and you just have to slide on the buttons to get a preview of what each button does.

Rear passengers would be disappointed to see the lack of screens in the back. This is because Rolls-Royce hid the entertainment to keep the classy looks. Press a button on the back of the front seats to reveal a picnic table and another button to reveal a big screen. If you have the 5-seater, both the rear screens are touchscreens. If you have the 4-seater, you will have the same buttons and dial on the center console as the front to control your screens. There are 5 USB ports for charging your favorite devices.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Powertrain

Powered by a 6.75 liter Twin-Turbo V12 petrol engine, which also equips the Phantom. Output numbers for the unit are 563 hp at 5,000 rpm and 850 Nm at 1,600 rpm. Torque is available at such a low rpm range that it won’t feel like a drag to pull a 2.7 ton car. No surprise here that the Twin-Turbo V12 engine is paired with a transmission from ZF. The gearbox used is the 8HP, an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Some say the Cullinan is just a more luxurious BMW SUV but they are wrong because the chassis used is the same as the Rolls-Royce Phantom’s and is made in Goodwood, UK. It is an all-aluminum spaceframe chassis. The choice of suspension here is a double wishbone for the front and a multilink for the rear.

The Cullinan is equipped with an electronically controlled air suspension system. The driver can adjust the height using the buttons on the center console. There are three settings: Low, Medium, and High, with a range of +/- 40 mm. It will automatically lower the car for passengers to enter the car.

This is the first all-wheel drive model made by Rolls-Royce. Believe it or not, this SUV was designed to go off-road, but I am sure, majority of owners wouldn’t risk it. Nevertheless, there is an Off Road button on the center console and when pressed, it will adjust the suspension, steering, gearbox, and engine for that purpose. 

Rolls-Royce Cullinan- Fuel Economy

The claimed fuel consumption is around 15 liters per 100 km (~6.5 km/L). This V12 performs better than most V8 found in luxury SUVs, which is surprising.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan– Driving Performance

The Cullinan really packs a punch with its engine and performance figures for 0-100 km/h is around 5.1 seconds and is electronically limited to a top speed of 250 km/h. Power delivery is very smooth as expected from a Rolls-Royce. It doesn’t matter on a straight road or on cornering, torque is available. A smaller size steering wheel coupled with the Four-Wheel Steering improves agility and handling. The driving experience will be truly effortless thanks to the powerful engine and loads of assistance from the systems aboard.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan- Ride Comfort

I can’t stress how important comfort is for a luxury vehicle and you can trust Rolls-Royce to deliver. The ventilated seats are exquisite and features body massage with 8 modes and 3 intensities (total 24 variations). The rear Immersive Seat can be fully adjusted but if you opt for the Lounge Seat, only the headrest can be adjusted.

The Cullinan is filled with soundproofing insulations, double glazed windows, and foam on the tyre wall, to create a tranquil and quiet cabin for the perfect NVH level. The loudest sound would most probably be the air-con. The cargo area comes with an additional glass partition that separates the passenger cabin from the boot. This will prevent outside air from entering the cabin when the tailgate is opened. This also ensures the cabin remains at the optimum temperature set by the climate control and improves the overall NVH.

The ride comfort during a drive is ensured by the many driver assists available. The Cullinan has a self-leveling Airmatic and two cameras. Together, these features read the road and adjust the height and firmness of suspension. This helps the Rolls-Royce to glide through all kinds of roads especially uneven roads effortlessly. The active anti-roll bar reduces body roll and body leaning.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan- Conclusion 

If you are searching for the ultimate luxury in a form of an SUV, look no further. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the pinnacle of luxury SUVs and on a class of its own. While other top tier brands drive their SUV in the direction of sportiness, Rolls-Royce refuses to join the bandwagon and focus on what they do best. The interior is refined and classy and despite having a massive, powerful engine, the drive is smooth and effortless. It is such a pleasant sight for the eyes and soul to be inside the Cullinan. A Rolls-Royce’s price is extravagant but worth every single cent.