We’ve been hearing about it since 2015, but today we finally got a full-on look at the Cullinan, the first SUV in the 114-year history of Rolls-Royce. The new SUV redefines what a luxury vehicle can offer, and it comes with a price tag to match.
With a $325,000 USD base price, that luxury bar had better be set high.
The model, named after the world’s largest diamond, delivers a level of ostentatiousness that only super luxury banners can. That means you’ll find everything from champagne glasses for those ho-hum nights out to the booster seats integrated into the lower part of the two-section hatchback for tailgate parties.
In terms of its styling, as you can see here the Cullinan shares clear design traits with its roster mates. Rolls Royce had promised a high-sitting vehicle, and that’s what they’ve delivered. The rear section is appropriately square as befits the category of vehicle it is, but the Rolls Royce esthetic has been respected.
Is it an attractive vehicle? We’ll let you judge for yourselves, but the least you can say about it is that it’s distinctive.
If you still weren’t convinced about SUVs taking over all corners of the market, take note that the Cullinan is already the third super luxury SUV to hit the market, after Bentley’s Bentayga and the Urus from Lamborghini.
There's nothing restrained abouit what's under the hood, meanwhile. The 6.75L twin-turbo V12 delivers 562 hp and can take the car to a maximum speed of 155 mph, or 250 km/h. The new Cullinan also benefits from a very capable 4X4 system… though how often owners will actually use it is anyone’s guess.
Here’s a fun fact to finish off: Though the Cullinan is truly the luxury automaker’s first model in its long, illustrious history, a little rummaging around in that history does turn up a Rolls-Royce of roughly these dimensions. Take a look at the limousine version of the 1910s-era Silver Ghost. History always repeats, if you squint hard enough…
