Rolls Royce Cullinan, Brand’s First SUV, Launched

Rolls Royce Cullinan to come powered by a V12 563HP petrol engine…

Looking at the interest towards SUVs the world over, luxury car manufacturers have also started moving away from their comfort zone of sedans & sports cars and developing luxury versions of SUVs. Acting on these lines, Rolls Royce has launched the Cullinan, a super luxurious “three box” SUV or a “high riding vehicle” as Rolls Royce likes to call it. Named after the largest diamond ever discovered, the Rolls Royce Cullinan will be the first ever 4 wheel drive car from the BMW owned luxury brand.

Rolls Royce is amongst the latest of the luxury car makers to launch an SUV in the market. It will take on the likes of Bentley Bentayaga, Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin’s upcoming SUV among others. The car is 2164mm wide and 5341mm long, surprisingly the shortest of all the other Rolls Royce offerings. Rolls Royce claims to have tested the car extensively all over the world and says it is capable of going anywhere effortlessly.

On the launch of the new Cullinan, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said:

“The super-luxury lifestyle is evolving and Rolls-Royce is in the lead. Luxury is no longer an urban concept. More and more it is about embracing and experiencing the wider world. Our customers expect to go everywhere in luxury, effortlessly and without compromise, conquering the most challenging terrain to enjoy life’s most enriching experiences, wherever they may be. For this reason, they have asked us to create a Rolls-Royce that offers uncompromised luxury wherever they dare to venture. Cullinan is that car. It is Effortless, Everywhere.” 

“It is incomparable and dramatically evolves the parameters of super-luxury travel, translating Rolls-Royce’s ethos of ‘Effortlessness’ into physical capability, anywhere in the world. Cullinan will simply take the world in its stride.”

Rolls Royce Cullinan Seating Configuration and Boot Space

Cullinan will be the first ever Rolls Royce to feature an opening tailgate. Rolls Royce is calling it “the Clasp”. The tailgate of the car is in two parts and opens up by pressing a button on the key fob. The car comes in two seating formats, a 5 seat “Lounge” configuration and a 4 seat configuration with two individual seats at the rear. The lounge seat variant also features an electronically controlled 3-way foldable split rear seat. The boot space on the car is 560 litres with parcel tray and 600 litres without it. This space can be extended up to 1930 litres when all the rear seats are down and boot floor is raised electronically to meet the seat base.

The 4 seater configuration version will come with two individual seats separated by a fixed centre console which incorporates a drinks cabinet containing Rolls Royce whiskey glasses and decanter, champagne flutes and refrigerator. Another big addition to this version of the car is a glass partition which isolates the passenger cabin from luggage compartment, making Cullinan the first “three box” SUV in the world. This glass partition seals the passenger cabin perfectly from the luggage compartment and keeps the temperature at optimum even if the tailgate is open. Rolls Royce says it is a homage to the time when people used to travel with luggage mounted outside the car. The seats on this version can also be adjusted individually as per the passenger’s comfort.

Rolls Royce Cullinan Suspension

Cullinan is the second Rolls Royce to be built on their “Architecture of Luxury”, other being the Phantom VIII. Rolls Royce has adopted this architecture to provide their famous “Magic Carpet Ride” off-roads as well. The Cullinan comes fitted with air suspension which gives the user capability of lowering the car by 40mm, making it easy to ingress and egress the car. The suspension also provides for an extremely comfortable ride in any driving condition. For this, Rolls Royce has added larger air struts with more air volume to cushion the blows of the toughest of terrains. The suspension also features electronically controlled shock absorber control system which adjusts to the most optimum levels reacting to body and wheel acceleration, steering inputs and camera information. The car also features a four-wheel steering system further enhancing its drivability and making it more nimble.

Rolls Royce Cullinan Luxury and Tech Features

The car comes loaded with luxury and tech features, very similar to the other Rolls Royce offerings. Here is a quick overview of what one can expect to get in the car:

  • Door closing button both inside and outside
  • Thick, small more driver friendly steering wheel with heated grips
  • Heated and ventilated seats all across
  • Central information touchscreen (first time ever) with entertainment, navigation and vehicle set-up features
  • Digital instrument cluster with virtual needles and Rolls Royce jewellery like chaplets and clear lettering
  • Spirit of Ecstacy controller, Off-Road button, Hill decent Control buttons and Air Suspension height adjustment controls on the centre console
  • Night vision & Vision Assist including daytime and night-time Wildlife & Pedestrian warning
  • Alertness Assistant
  • A 4-Camera system with Panoramic View, all-round visibility and helicopter view
  • Active Cruise Control
  • Collision Warning
  • Cross-Traffic Warning, Lane Departure and Lane Change Warning
  • 7×3 High-Resolution Head-Up Display
  • WiFi hotspot
  • Pavillion seating
  • Panoramic glass sunroof
  • Rear touchscreens with maps
  • Wireless phone charging in front
  • Self-lowering front and rear door wrap
  • DRLs
  • “Box Grain” black leather clad top facia of the dashboard, wooden centre stack and leather padded top and bottom
  • Leather covered seats with horseshoe design
  • Heated front door armrests, front centre console lid, lower C pillar, rear side armrests and rear centre armrests
  • Optional Rolls Royce Recreation Modules which can easily be slotted and plugged into the boot of Cullinan. Each Recreation Module contains a motorised drawer housing equipments (like folding seats) specific to the owner’s choice of activity.

Rolls Royce Cullinan Engine

The Cullinan features a completely reworked 6.75L twin-turbo V12 Rolls Royce petrol engine producing 563HP and 850Nm of torque. This engine is rated to deliver a combined fuel efficiency of around 15L/100kms or 6.5 km/L, pretty impressive for such a car. The car features a 4 wheel drive system as well. It has one more very interesting feature, the Everywhere button, which once pressed will make the car ready to tackle any terrain by delivering the full 850Nm torque to all wheels all the time. Rolls Royce Cullinan has a governed top speed of 250 Km/Hr.

The car will be available in two versions, the Magma Red Cullinan with a Red outer shade & 5 seat configuration and Darkest Tungsten Cullinan with a greyish shade & 4 seat configuration.

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