Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II Revealed With Modest Changes And Same Old V12 Goodness

• Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II revealed as first ever update for the nameplate

• Gets small tweaks to the exterior which make it look sleeker

• Can now be specced with 23-inch alloys

• Interior layout is mostly unchanged, but materials are nature-inspired

• Retains the outgoing model’s 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine

• India launch likely in late 2024

After nearly six years of serving that top 0.1% of the entire world population (read ‘people with so much money that you can’t even fathom’), Rolls-Royce’s most popular offering, the Cullinan super luxury SUV, has received a facelift. The British carmaker is calling it the Cullinan Series II and as the name suggests, it is the first ever update for the nameplate. It brings modest exterior revisions, but a whole lot of small and intricate tweaks on the inside that up the opulence even further. Let’s take a look at the changes on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II:

Design

The squared out stance and shape of the Cullinan has been made softer with this update. It looks sleeker, and that is an extension of the changes made to its front. The headlights, now sleeker, get DRLs that extend down towards the bumper. The air intakes are bigger and assert a lower, meaner stance. 

The centrepiece obviously is the conspicuous grille, which is now illuminated and also tweaked slightly to match the flagship Phantom Series II model. Changes are rather subtle from the side, but are still enough to give it a slightly sleeker look. Heavy emphasis on slightly here, because it still is rather monolithic with a strong shoulder line connecting the lights on the two poles. Yes, the alloys are new, and there’s now an option to spec it with 23-inch wheels made from a billet of aluminium as well. 

The subtlety of the changes continue towards the rear, where you now get a more defined exhaust outlet. That is complimented by a brushed stainless-steel plate in the middle of the rear bumper that runs under the car. 

In addition to the changes, there’s a new Emperador Truffle hue, which is solid grey-brown shade. If you want blacked out details and want your Cullinan to stand out even further, Rolls-Royce is offering the Black Badge treatment right from the start.

Interior

Only Rolls-Royce can not update the layout and styling of its interiors and get away with it. Goes to show how opulent and timeless it was when it actually broke cover in 2018. That being said, there are new elements that make up that same layout, like the glass panel on the upper part of  the dashboard. 

It houses the infotainment system and the digital driver’s display, while the passenger side of the panel gets illumination through 7,000 laser-etched dots and a new ‘Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet’. Amalgam of modern and retro detailing done right.

While the styling is more or less the same, the focus has clearly been on the material palette, which is heavily inspired by botanicals (nature). There’s fabric made out of bamboo, panels made from open-pore wood, and hand stained veneer ‘leaves’. 

The new cloth upholstery is called ‘Duality Twill’, and it takes craftsmanship to the next level, which is saying something by Rolls-Royce standards. Making it is a 20 hour process that involves 22 lakh stitches, and nearly 20km of thread, developed using special lasers for uniformity and precision. 

Ofcourse, there’s no scarcity of features with a few headliners including rear screens, Wi-Fi hotspot connection, 18-speaker bespoke sound system, connected car technology, and ADAS.

Powertrain

Surprisingly, the Cullinan Series II retains the 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine of the outgoing model. However, the output hasn’t been announced yet. For reference, the outgoing model made 571PS of power and 850Nm of peak torque. But we do know that power is still delivered to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

Price and rivals

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Given that the Cullinan is Rolls-Royce’s most popular model, we reckon it could launch in India sometime in late 2024. India already has a few Cullinan’s phantoming the streets, including one owned by King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) himself. This update will likely make the Cullinan more expensive compared to the outgoing model, but the delta is likely to be spare change for people who can actually buy it. When it arrives, it’ll rival the Bentley Bentayega, and Land Rover Range Rover SV.