Rolls-Royce Cullinan 2019 Review – International

Rolls-Royce is used as almost a descriptor. Much to the chagrin of the brand, there’s always been the informal labelling of the very best as the Rolls-Royce of this or the Rolls-Royce of that.

Now, the storied German-owned British brand is playing the game for itself – and proclaiming its brand-new “go everywhere” Cullinan as, quite literally, the Rolls-Royce of SUVs.

And for 95 per cent of the very well-heeled that will stump up the $685K-plus for the new, high, wide and handsome (err, perhaps let’s just settle for the first two), Rolls-Royce has hit the nail of the head.

This is an incredibly refined, high-performance SUV, the performance of which belies its Sponge Bob Square Pants lines.

The secret to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s refinement and overall excellence is the aluminium space-frame upon which it is built. Without a great foundation, it’s hard to build a monument – just ask those blokes in Pisa.

Rolls-Royce calls the tool set upon which the Cullinan draws ‘The Architecture of Luxury’. It’s an all-alloy meccano set that combines diecast structures and high-spec suspension designs, with common extrusions and bespoke pressed structures that can be welded, rivetted and glued into whatever vehicle shape (and to a degree, segment) Rolls-Royce needs…

The chassis is paired with Rolls-Royce’s 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 and ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox in the first two cars to use the platform, the new Phantom 8 and Cullinan. Of course, in the case of the latter, Rolls adds a full-time, single-range four-wheel drive system.

Each vehicle generation and design Rolls-Royce constructs on the ‘The Architecture of Luxury’ builds on the maker’s knowledge of what needs to be done to provide super-high levels of refinement and an almost unbelievable level of ride comfort.

In the Cullinan, therefore this has moved on from the already high levels achieved in the latest Phantom. Indeed, while the Rolls-Royce boffins won’t say it, fact is the Cullinan with its longer travel, second-generation air-spring adaptive suspension system is now better than the car Rolls claims is the best in the world.

I rode and/or drove in the flagship limousine and what arrives Down Under in March 2019 as the world’s most expensive production SUV, almost back-to-back on the same road with the same four-up load and guess what -- the new SUV is better.

There’s a whole technical tale to be told about the development of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. I’m not sure many buyers will be all that interested, nor do we have the space.

Suffice it to say, Rolls claims the new SUV has been tested to destruction. Check out National Geographic’s YouTube series for a glimpse at the sign-off program at the hands of the man who’s being test driving and signing off new Rolls for at least the last decade, Dave Monks.

All of that took place after a protracted ‘will we, wont we’ discussion on whether to build a “high-sided car”.

That decision went all the way to the board of the BMW-owned company and, in the end, insiders say it was four factors that cemented the decision: the fact Rolls-Royce had a history of early four-wheeled exploration; that a vehicle with more utility would round out its portfolio and leverage its very expensive aluminium architecture; that the SUV market was exploding across the globe; and finally, that its existing owners were asking for it.

This last factor was the most important. With a significant majority of Rolls-Royce owners already having one or more SUVs in their garages (yes, we’re talking about you, Range Rover), the die and opportunity was set.

It seems crazy now there was ever a skerrick of doubt. Rolls-Royce will sell every Cullinan it can build.

Styling proposals for the new high-riding Rolls that we were shown (but not allowed to photograph) at the vehicle’s global drive launch in Jackson in the US state of Wyoming last week ranged from tank-like tributes to the company’s martial past to almost nautical designs that would look at home at Monaco Yacht week – and a few things in between.

What’s evolved in the production Rolls-Royce Cullinan is predictable and safe. It’s better in the gorgeously painted aluminium that it appears in pictures (and is certainly better suited to just a few select colours in the extensive standard paint palette), but I can’t help but think Rolls-Royce has lost an opportunity to reset the standard for super premium SUVs.

The only departure from the conventional two-box SUV look is what Rolls calls Cullinan’s “third volume”. This bustle bum is, the designers say, a tribute to the travel trunks that once adorned touring Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts and the like. The best thing I can say is, you get used to it…

Of course, whatever you think of the styling, the detailing and lines of the Cullinan in the metal are well wrought. The body is all aluminium and any detailing (Rolls says the ‘spears’ across the lower section of the carriage doors are reminiscent of the running boards of its older cars) is exclusively hand-polished stainless steel.

This is even the case with the front underbody skid-plate. I’m guessing the first person to scratch one will cry – at the very least at its replacement cost.

The Spirit of Ecstasy has its rightful place atop the Pantheon grille and the various wheel designs (22-inch alloys with bespoke foam and sealant filled Continental tyres are standard) all sport the clever pendulum RR axle caps that always align perfectly, both on the move and parked.

There are two cabin configuration options offered in the new Rolls Royce Cullinan.

The ‘Immersive’ seating option is aimed at those looking for the full limousine experience. Twin rear individual recliners straight from the Army & Navy Club mean the Cullinan seats just four – albeit with the addition of a standard champagne cooler and separate whiskey decanter bin (both replete with glasses).

This option also includes a fixed rear bulkhead behind the second row that seals the cabin from what Rolls described as “extreme climatic conditions” when the two-piece tailgate is opened.

Those Rolls-Royce Cullinan buyers who plan on leveraging the utility of what after all is an SUV will likely opt for the conventional Lounge (read: bench) seat option. Here there’s a 60:40-split/folding seat with armrest and ski-port and belts for three.

By the way, if you’re hanging out for a seven-seat Cullinan you could be waiting for some time… Never say never, but they did…

The rear bench seat tumbles and raises electrically via buttons in a number of locations. There is electric assistance for the front and rear soft-close doors (almost a must-have given the rear-hinged rear doors) and the tailgate too is auto.

Like the signature Range Rover (and more recently, the Rolls’ distant X5 and X7 cousins), the Cullinan’s tailgate is two-piece. There’s an added gadget that at the push of a button ramps the luggage area floor to finish flush with the flat-folding rear bench to help with the loading of long items.

Don’t look for a full-size spare. There’s a space-saver that we didn’t use (more later)…

The design of the British brand’s first SUV should at least be applauded for its ability to mask its solid proportions. Indeed, you need to be standing next to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan to really appreciate its size. I stand 167cm and the window belt line is at mid-chest height.

Pick almost any SUV short of the US-market truck-based behemoths and the Cullinan puts it in the shade. At 3295mm, the wheelbase is 175mm longer than the special-order LWB Range Rover and 300mm longer than an Audi Q7.

At 1835mm high, the Cullinan is 30mm higher than the upcoming BMW X7. Its 5341mm overall length is more than 200mm longer than the Bentley Bentayga’s. The Rolls’ body is around the same width as the total width of all the current crop of big SUVs, extremity to extremity (including side mirrors).

At 2660kg it’s no lightweight but nor is it hugely heavier than its competitive set. Given the amount of kit it packs, including more than 100kg of acoustic materials and what Rolls Royce claims are the automotive world’s thickest double-glazed side windows, that total shows one of the benefits of aluminium construction. Still, I wouldn’t want it to drive over my foot!

There is acres of room for drivers and passengers and the level of cabin finish is out of this world. Rolls-Royce has specified a new worked-leather finish as standard for the Cullinan’s dash and other surfaces. Timber and any number of alternative materials are just a tick of the spec sheet and a click of the ATM away.

There’s a focus on the space and amenity for rear seaters including a floor plan design that dispenses with side sills. While this may not be the perfect thing for fording rivers (although Rolls claims the Cullinan is happy to wade in up to 500mm; a Rangie can ford 800mm), it makes access to the rear seats even easier.

The same body design details also means that when you alight from the Cullinan there’s less chance your moleskins or Lululemon leggings will be muddied.

As you’d expect, given the Cullinan’s ample external dimensions, the rear luggage space is large – more than 2000 litres with the rear seats tumbled.

Opt for some of the bespoke rear recreational modules (I’m specifying the fishing one from Hardy Bros) or the headline-grabbing ‘Viewing Suite’ (perfect for the polo) and that luggage space will be -- temporarily at least -- reduced. Perhaps at this stage, it’s time to send James ahead with the bags… And the kids for good measure.

It’s somewhat pointless to detail what is and isn’t standard kit in the Cullinan. There’s very little you’ll ever need to add to the standard spec – every manner of heating, cooling, convenience and entertainment items are offered.

And a whole suite of driver safety and assistance systems are also standard including autonomous braking, rear cross traffic braking, active cruise, et al. That said, need doesn’t often come into the discussion when specifying a Rolls-Royce.

The company says it expects there to be as much personalisation on Cullinan as it sees with its other models, ie: lots…

We drove the Cullinan in a location that epitomises peak-wealth, the mountain enclave that’s Jackson in Teton County, Wyoming – allegedly the wealthiest county in the USA.

Given the scale and number of the 500sqm-plus $10m-plus log ‘cabins’ and the fact there’s more than 30 art galleries in the square mile or so that is Jackson proper (some boasting Impressionist originals, Picassos and more), I’m not going to argue the point.

But it was as much the topography around Jackson that welcomed the Cullinan as the net disposal income of the town’s residents. Literally on the edge of town, the Snow King ski area boasts what is reputedly the steepest ski run in the USA. Within five minutes of getting behind the Cullinan’s wheel and firing up its 420kW 850Nm petrol V12, we were driving up it!

That sounds more dramatic that the reality of the route, but I’ve got your attention. And in preparing the Cullinan for the ascent, Rolls’ masterstroke became apparent.

Forget Terrain Response, Quadra-Drive, Crawl Control and the like, the Cullinan has a single ‘Offroad’ setting that Rolls-Royce calls the ‘go everywhere’ button.

Push it and the car automatically configures throttle response, gearbox mapping, damper behaviour, ride-height (40mm increase to 230mm; still well shy of the Rangie), active anti-roll bar settings, front-rear and left-right torque split and even the rear-wheel steering system to maximise its performance on the steep, slippery or loose stuff.

The only other button you may need to consult is the hill descent assistance. This can be adjusted from crawling pace to around 20km/h via the cruise control and is smart enough to re-engage when you slow again.

On our test route, the Cullinan easily coped with the steep terrain encountered – up and down. With a single-speed transfer case and brake traction control, I’m not for a moment suggesting it’s got a dual-range and diff-locked Range Rover covered but it’s likely to be eminently suited to what its buyers are going to throw at it.

The Cullinan’s key handicap is likely to be ground clearance. Rolls-Royce admits as much but says the extra two or three per cent of capability off-road that, say, 300mm of ground clearance would have gifted the car, would have translated into a five or even eight per cent degradation of the Cullinan’s cosseting yet sporting on-road performance. It’s an understandable compromise.

And that on-road performance is impressive. The V12 is barely ever heard but it’s regularly felt and accelerates the Cullinan with real verve. It takes just 5.2sec to sprint to 100km/h and the vehicle feels every bit quick enough to bump into its 250km/h speed limiter early and often.

Where the speed limits allowed it, the Cullinan would crash through mega miles silently and comfortably at well over the old ton. Just overtaking it was easy to top the 200km/h mark, all the time conducting a conversation with our rear-seat passengers in normal, perhaps even hushed, tones.

Indeed, it’s the serenity of the cabin at even very high speeds along with the amazing balance of ride and decent handling that are the standouts for me with Cullinan. I expected a polished performer but the reality of Rolls-Royce’s first-ever SUV was even more impressive.

On road and even on loose rough surfaces, steering is precise and the vehicle belies its mass and footprint. There’s zero steering kick-back on gravel roads and yet there’s a genuine impression of what’s happening at the tyres being delivered back to the driver.

There’s also great body control with just enough roll to let you know you’re trying. It’s cliched but I couldn’t help but think of the hippopotamus ballerinas from Fantasia (look it up, Dumbo) as I hustled our Salamanca Blue Cullinan along one winding section of Jackson backroad.

The only likely hiccup on fast dirt roads is the choice of low-profile rubber on 22-inch wheels. And this caught us out with a flat tyre after one particularly sharp ridge. There was no damage to the rim, but the 285/40-section Continental was toast – even the sealant that’s standard and usually fights off conventional punctures was ineffective.

By the time we’d decided to employ the space-saver, RR’s tech were there with a replacement wheel. Lifestyles of the rich and famous…

Rolls-Royce will offer 21-inch wheels with more aggressively treaded and side-walled tyres to buyers by the time the Cullinan arrives Down Under in the first quarter of 2019.

There are so many more details to the Cullinan that I could mention.

Yes, there are colour-matched umbrellas in each of the rear doors; the design of which has been amended to prevent absent-minded owners from not stowing them properly and shutting the rears, damaging the front doors (ouch!).

Then there’s the myriad details on the design and material changes to the air-spring units in their migration from Phantom to (rich) farmer’s friend.

And the obsession re finish that sees the roof panels welded and hand-matched with the body sides to deliver the “monolithic’ finish Rolls expects. Did I mention the Cullinan has the latest adaptive, active laser headlights that punch out to beyond 600m?

All of this may be lost, however, in the obsession with the car’s badge and its less than ground-breaking styling.

Even 10 years ago, the idea of Rolls-Royce building an SUV was almost laughable. Now Cullinan is a reality – and it’s good. You may not be a fan of its styling, but after driving it I find it very hard to argue that it doesn’t hit its marks.

Cultured, quiet, quick and, above all, capable; by definition, Cullinan really is the Rolls-Royce of SUVs.

How much does the 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV cost?
Available: March 2019
Price: From $685,000 (Lounge configuration; Immersive four-seater from $725,000)
Engine: 6.75-litre turbo-petrol V12
Outputs: 420kW/850Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic. all-wheel drive
Fuel consumption: 15.0L/100km
CO2: 341g/km
Safety rating: TBC