Rolls-Royce Cullinan: the First Rolls-Royce SUV

Rolls-Royce Cullinan at a glance

The market for ultra-luxury SUVs is not huge, but Rolls-Royce was confident it could win a share of it from rivals such as the Bentley Bentayga. The Cullinan is one of the largest production vehicles in its segment and stands out for its design, its opulent interior, advanced technology and an exceptionally high level of equipment. More Rolls-Royce models are listed in our Rolls-Royce catalogue, and the marque's story is told in our history of Rolls-Royce.

Exterior

The Cullinan's appearance follows the company's style closely. Some say it looks like a Phantom body placed on an SUV platform, but that impression fades on closer inspection: only certain details recall the brand's other famous models, and the interior is completely new. As with every Rolls-Royce, almost any paint colour or personal detail a customer can imagine is available.

The front closely resembles the Rolls-Royce Phantom, with a slightly reworked bumper. The familiar solid chrome grille with many vertical vanes carries the brand badge at the top of its surround, and the Spirit of Ecstasy stands above it. The mascot can be silver, gold or illuminated crystal, as on the Phantom, and its retraction system reacts faster than before. The grille is not especially large; its lower part was made slightly smaller. The headlights are also taken from the saloon: adaptive LED units in every version, with a dark background and LED daytime running lights at the top for a stricter look.

The large bumper contains many sensors and stylish elements: two rectangular vents below the headlights, more vents lower down, a radar and other safety sensors in the centre, and a skid plate that also serves as a splitter, improving aerodynamics. The bonnet rises in the centre with two crisp lines running to the windscreen pillars, and the windscreen is fully heated, as is the washer fluid.

In profile the Cullinan clearly looks like an SUV rather than a luxury saloon. Massive front and rear wheel arches house 22-inch alloy wheels, and larger wheels are optional. The front wings carry indicators and a chrome badge. Like other Rolls-Royce models, the Cullinan has rear-hinged rear doors. The chrome-plated metal door handles support keyless entry: a button on the handle opens the door, and the rear doors can also be closed electrically at the touch of a button. Chrome mouldings run along the bottom of the doors, and each side has three windows framed in chrome. The body-coloured mirrors are mounted on the doors; they have electric adjustment, power folding, heating and memory, plus side cameras, puddle lights projecting the badge onto the ground and safety sensors underneath. Ground clearance can be varied by the air suspension. Every Cullinan has a panoramic roof with a sliding front section and a shark-fin antenna, and a tow bar is available as an option.

The designers reworked the rear so that some elements recall the saloon while the overall shape is clearly that of an SUV: the protruding boot of the saloons became a tailgate, sloping at the window and sharply sculpted below. A compact spoiler with an LED brake light sits at the top. The expressive LED tail lights at the sides echo the Phantom's design with a slightly different shape. The two-part tailgate opens electrically, and it hides solutions not found even in the Phantom: when the lower section opens, two small seats and a compact table can deploy from a recess, turning the rear into a picnic spot for two. The bumper, which some compare with that of a Range Rover, protrudes slightly and carries two shaped chrome exhaust tips and a central protective panel.

Interior

Rolls-Royce cars are prized for interiors that combine exquisite materials with modern technology while looking almost simple. Materials depend on the customer's wishes: leather or Alcantara, and wood on the steering wheel, dashboard, door panels and tunnel - or almost anything else instead. The driver has a comfortable three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel showing the brand's classic dials.

The centre console has a 12.25-inch infotainment screen that can be hidden behind a panel, making the cabin look more traditional. The system is controlled with a rotary controller topped with the Spirit of Ecstasy, which also works as a touchpad, and the buttons around it; nearby are buttons for the off-road mode and hill-descent control, and a neat climate control panel.

The Cullinan seats five as standard, and two individual rear seats are an option. All seats have electric adjustment, memory, ventilation, heating and massage; electric motors are everywhere, even on the screen mounts. The cabin is extremely spacious. The individual rear seats come with a console containing storage, a touchpad for the infotainment system, a refrigerator and glasses. The boot holds 600 litres as standard and, unusually for a Rolls-Royce, the rear seats fold to give 1,930 litres. With the individual rear seats, the cabin is separated from the luggage area by a glass partition that improves sound insulation. Like every Rolls-Royce, the Cullinan has umbrellas in the doors, matched to the interior colour, and their compartments are ventilated so a wet umbrella can be stored.

Engine and transmission

The Cullinan is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine with direct injection, 48 valves and variable valve timing on both camshafts. It produces 420 kW (571 PS) and 850 Nm; the Black Badge version has 441 kW (600 PS) and 900 Nm. Combined fuel consumption is about 15 l/100 km. A ZF eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive with a multi-plate clutch for the front axle complete the drivetrain. The 2,660 kg SUV reaches 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds - an excellent figure for its weight - and top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.

Chassis and off-road ability

The Cullinan is built on Rolls-Royce's aluminium spaceframe, the "Architecture of Luxury", with aluminium body panels. The independent air suspension, with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear axle, has adaptive dampers, active anti-roll bars, adjustable ride height and continuously variable damping that uses sensors and cameras to read the road ahead. Rack-and-pinion steering with variable ratio is combined with four-wheel steering. Large ventilated discs on all wheels are supported by many electronic driver aids. The off-road mode adapts the car to grass, sand, gravel and snow, and the Cullinan can wade through water up to 540 mm deep.

Safety and equipment

The Cullinan has front, side and curtain airbags, night vision, a parking assistant, stability control, hill-start and hill-descent assistance, navigation, surround-view cameras, adaptive headlights, adaptive cruise control, tyre-pressure monitoring, a trailer reversing assistant, keyless entry, remote control functions, four-wheel steering, traffic-sign and pedestrian recognition, collision warning, driver fatigue monitoring, lane departure warning and a high-quality head-up display.

Even the "base" Cullinan has four-zone climate control, 22-inch alloy wheels, a 16-speaker audio system, the digital instrument panel, full LED lighting, a large touchscreen, heated electric front seats, adaptive cruise control, surround-view cameras, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and the head-up display. On top of that, the personalisation options can easily double the price.

In 2024 Rolls-Royce presented the Series II Cullinan, with no mechanical changes but a new front bumper, headlights, an illuminated grille, 23-inch wheels, new interior materials and an updated digital instrument cluster and infotainment system.

Rivals

Few cars match the Cullinan on price, but its rivals include the Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes-Maybach GLS, Range Rover SV, Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX.

Verdict

The Cullinan is almost free of shortcomings, apart from its price - but that is what style, luxury, power and status cost. Rolls-Royce produced an excellent first all-wheel-drive SUV that immediately caught the world's attention: stylish, safe, powerful and lavishly equipped, with a remarkable range of personalisation options. In terms of price and prestige it has few direct rivals; in practice it competes as much with yachts as with other cars.