Rolls Royce Cullinan, the crown jewel and luxury made SUV

Luxury, exclusivity and uniqueness. That is what comes to mind when we think of a brand like Rolls Royce. And that is what the new model from the British marque offers us: a car that breaks away from the typical saloon, which has historically been the quintessential range bearing the Spirit of Ecstasy, and that marks the introduction of an SUV into the lineup. And what an SUV… If we thought luxury SUVs were the Range Rover, the Mercedes G-Class or even the Bentley Bentayga, forget it. We are looking at what wants to be the most luxurious SUV on the market -with the permission of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury– and that is why it uses a name that means precisely that.

Cullinan is the name of the largest diamond ever found, and once polished it became part of the British Crown Jewels. And that is what this SUV represents, a category that transcends everything we can find in this type of car. Rolls Royce has built off-roaders before, but they were dedicated to the military and did not represent a production philosophy. Now, this impressive vehicle has everything one looks for in a Rolls, but with additions that did not exist until now.

To begin with, all-wheel drive appears for the first time on a car from the brand. And it is a true off-roader, not a car with off-road capabilities. Its wading depth is 540 mm. Its structure is based on the ‘Architecture of Luxury‘ platform, which is used only for Rolls models. In fact, only the upcoming Ghost, the Cullinan and the Phantom currently use the platform, and no other car in the group outside the luxury brand will use it.

Its dimensions are 5,341 mm in length, 2,164 mm in width and a height of 1,835 mm. The wheelbase reaches 3,295 mm, and for that reason it will have a spacious and luxurious interior. It weighs 2,660 kg, which adds to its achievements by making it the heaviest in the entire range. As for the suspension, something vital for a vehicle of these characteristics, it is identical to that of the Phantom 8: independent on all four wheels, with double wishbones at the front and multilink at the rear, with air suspension and active anti-roll bars. The difference lies precisely in the air suspension, with greater air capacity that will offer more comfort and ride quality over off-road terrain.

To drive over complicated terrain, the driver only has to press the “Everywhere” button, and traction acts across 12 elements so the car can be driven calmly without losing comfort. There are other driving modes: “Snow“, “Sand” and “Rock“, which adapt the driving to these types of terrain. Looking at the engine, we find a 6.5-litre V12 block that delivers 570 CV and a maximum torque of 850 Nm, enough so that the “off-roader” label is not merely decorative.

And on the outside, despite daring to tackle all terrains, it is a Rolls Royce, and its styling maintains the spirit of the brand. Everything about it, inside and out, refers to Rolls Royce. Inside we find the usual luxury, with a design very similar to the Phantom 8, as they are design siblings. And it includes practical features such as the height above the ground dropping 40 mm when a door is opened, to make access easier. A small detail that joins many more confirming that this is, truly, the crown jewel.

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