Mark Your Calendar, The Cullinan Is Coming!
After a long wait and extensive testing across the globe, Rolls-Royce finally feels confident that its newest SUV is ready to face the world. 10th of May: Block the date for a date with the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Three years ago, Rolls-Royce finally conceded to the ever-increasing demands of the world for an SUV. An official announcement was made to that end that a high-bodied vehicle would indeed be developed and rolled out of the firm’s Goodwood facility. With arch-rival Bentley’s own Bentayga set firmly in the crosshairs, Rolls-Royce began earnest work on its new SUV.
Come next week, the 10th of May to be precise, the British automaker will finally pull the covers off the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The super luxurious SUV employs a new aluminium spaceframe the company has termed ‘Architecture of Luxury’. The new chassis will eventually underpin all Rolls-Royce models. The family similarity does not end here, as the Cullinan is expected to wear the same domineering face as other models it shares the stable with. True to its parent company’s modus operandi, the high-body will feature suicide doors with that signature pop-out umbrella stashed in the recesses of the same. It will also come with a tailgate-mounted spoiler and taillamps inspired by the new Phantom.
Rolls-Royce is expected to shoehorn the same engine found working under the Phantom in the Cullinan. Which simply means that the SUV won’t lack for power, with 563 hp and 900 Nm on tap out of the mighty 6.75-liter V12 petrol motor. The engine will enable the Cullinan go like the wind, only quieter. Rolls-Royce will likely mate the motor to an eight-speed automatic transmission that will transmit all the power and twist to the SUV’s all-wheel-drive system.
Not much is known about what the Cullinan will offer on the inside, but we can be pretty sure that the cabin of the luxury SUV will be obscenely luxurious. Fine leather upholstery, metallic accents, rare wood trims, et al is standard fare for all Rolls-Royce cars. The Cullinan will set itself apart by offering a digital dashboard cluster in addition to a new centre console. The party trick of the high-body is a rather nifty feature dubbed the Viewing Suite. At the push of a button, two leather wrapped chairs and a cocktail table will pop out of the lower half of the tailgate!
Excited? We sure are, considering that the Rolls-Royce Cullinan seems pretty comfortable in the Desert. The countdown to the launch has begun, with eight days to go.