This is the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan and it is unquestionably the most luxurious 4×4 to hit the market – at least until Aston Martin gets in on the act.
The iconic British marque says its first purpose-built sports utility vehicle is inspired by Lawrence of Arabia’s military-readied Roller – although it has undoubtedly been designed with the super-rich in mind – as it curtsies to let you in and deploys leather-bound picnic chairs so you can enjoy equestrian events without ever leaving the vehicle.
Bosses at BMW-owned Rolls-Royce claim the new £250,000 SUV is ‘the ultimate rough diamond’ – taking its name from the legendary 3,106 carat Cullinan gem, unearthed in 1905 in South Africa that was the largest and most flawless ever found and elements of which are in the Crown Jewels.
However, Rolls-Royce will face competition in three years’ time, as fellow British brand Aston Martin has confirmed it will also make its first SUV in 2021 – and that will only come with electric power.
The Cullinan will be built at Rolls-Royce’s boutique factory at Goodwood, in Sussex.
Launched to capitalise on the booming market for luxury off-roaders that’s recently seen the likes of Jaguar Maserati and even Lamborghini get in on the act, Rolls-Royce is outright refusing to call it an SUV, instead referring to the all-new enormous machine as a ‘high-bodied car’.
That doesn’t mean it can’t go off the beaten track, though.
And to prove it, National Geographic has been building up to this week’s glitzy unveiling with a series of videos of a prototype model being ‘tested to destruction’ during rigorous trials around the world.
It’s not like the famed British marque doesn’t have previous when it comes to creating robust all-terrain models – its highly-engineered cars have been used off-road throughout the firm’s 114-year history by the British army and Indian maharajahs, as well as in desert campaigns by Lawrence of Arabia who enthused that ‘A Rolls in the desert is above rubies’.
And this is a seriously high-rech car.
The Cullinan uses the same flexible aluminium space-frame platform as the latest £350,000 eighth-generation Phantom limousine, as it aims to eclipse rival off-roaders such as Bentley’s Bentayga and the range-topping Range Rover SVAutobiography.
It features four ‘coach’ doors – where the rear two open outwards from hinges at the back – plus Rolls-Royce’s first ever tailgate at the rear.
Riding on vast 22 inch wheels, there are two main styles the high-end car maker hopes will appeal to its ever-broadening – though always well-heeled – customers.
For those with bags of cash and a bevy of offspring, there’s a flexible five-seat model with a 600-litre boot that can be extended to 1930 litres with the second-row backrests folded flat.
And for VIPs, captains of industry and monarchs on the move, Rolls-Royce has created a statelier four-seater with two ‘pavilion’ chairs in the back.
These have been fixed in a raised grandstand position and the privacy side windows – inspired by those fitted to private jets – allow the chauffeured owner to wave to an adoring crowd if the event requires it or block them out for complete privacy.
And to ensure they’re relaxed at all times, the two executive airline-style rear seats flank a fixed centre console incorporating a drinks cabinet, Rolls-Royce whisky glasses and decanter, champagne flutes and a cool box to chill your bottles.
Even the rear seats have been angled slightly towards each other to allow the two rear occupants to talk to one another without straining their necks.
To make getting in and out of the high-riding car easier too, Cullinan can curtsy by lowering 40mm (one-and-a-half inches) when the driver clicks the unlock button or touches the door handle sensor for keyless entry. It then rises back up when the vehicle’s ‘Start’ button is pressed.
That’s not the only luxuriously practical touch added to the limo-like SUV.
To protect skirts and trouser legs from getting dirty when getting in and out of the giant off-roader, the front and rear coach doors wrap low under the sill to ensure dirt remains on the outside of the door, not on the inner sill itself and in touching distance of fine garments.
Many of these features don’t come for free, though, and buyers are expected to pay at least double the £250,000 base price by the time they’ve added their own sumptuous bespoke touches and extras.
One of the most-selected options is likely to be the pop-out ‘viewing suite’ in the boot.
Two chairs and a table emerge from beneath the boot floor at the push of a button to offer the best seats in the house for those attending the races, polo or school sports days. There are also screens just in case you want to catch up on your favourite shows while under the cover of a boot lid.
Despite stretching some 17 feet and six inches in length, six feet high, and weighing more than 2.6 tons, it won’t be a slouch.
That’s because it’s powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine developing 563bhp – equivalent to around six Ford Fiestas – that can propel it from rest to 62mph in five seconds.
Foot to the floor and completely flat out, this breeze-block on wheels has a top speed that’s electronically limited to 155mph.
And it should even be usable when owners return to the city from a weekend of tackling mountain sides and sand dunes as it has a relatively nimble turning circle of 13.23 metres.
