Rolls-Royce Cullinan Launched At Rs 6.95 Crore

• The Cullinan is Rolls-Royce’s first attempt at making a 4WD vehicle
• It shares its underpinnings with the Phantom VIII
• It is named after the Cullinan diamond, which is the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered
• Priced at Rs 6.95 crore (ex-showroom), it takes on the Bentley Bentayga

Rolls-Royce has launched the Cullinan SUV in India. Priced at an astronomical Rs 6.95 crore (ex-showroom, India), Rolls-Royce’s first ever SUV will compete with the Bentley Bentayga. However, the Cullinan is priced significantly higher than the Bentayga which retails for Rs 3.78 crore to 3.85 crore (ex-showroom, India).

The Cullinan represented a significant change of direction for the Rolls-Royce brand when it first debuted back in May, 2018. In addition to being its first SUV, the Cullinan is also the first 4WD from the storied British brand. The SUV is based on the aluminium space frame architecture that Rolls-Royce brands ‘The Architecture of Luxury’. The Phantom VIII too is based on the same platform.

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But it’s not just the underpinnings that the Cullinan shares with some of its siblings. At the front, you are greeted by the trademark Rolls-Royce grille that is bookended by rectangular-shaped headlamps. Other signature Rolls-Royce design elements are present too, like the sharp flat shoulder line across the SUV’s length, suicide doors and the vertically-stacked tail lamps. Another design aspect that is hard to miss is a protruding boot, which is a homage to the D-Back Rolls-Royces of the 1930s.

The elegant SUV weighs in at 2,660kg. That mass, however, is masked very well by the Cullinan’s styling and dimensions, which stand at 5341mm x 2164mm x 1835mm (LxWxH). This makes the Cullinan 200mm longer and 166mm wider compared to the Bentley Bentayga. At 3295mm, it also trumps the Bentley’s wheelbase by 303mm.

If the exterior of the Cullinan had Rolls-Royce written all over it, things are no different when it comes to the interior. The cockpit of the SUV is luxury personified. A variety of premium materials are used all over in addition to wooden inserts for the dashboard, central console and door trims. The dashboard also houses the signature Rolls-Royce watch. For all the classic luxury feel it exudes, the cabin is packed with modern features. In yet another first, this is the first Rolls-Royce to get a digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation.

The rich and luxurious vein of features continues into the Cullinan’s rear seats. Passengers in the rear will sit higher than those in the front thanks to a higher placed rear seat. Coupled with the Cullinan’s large windows and panoramic roof, this should give rear seat occupants a ‘grandstand-like view’. The Cullinan has a bench seat at the rear although Rolls-Royce gives you the option to replace it with two captain seats for a more luxurious experience. One of the SUV’s specialties is a Viewing Suite, which lets you pull out two leather seats and a cocktail table from the luggage compartment at the touch of a button. This feature causes the passenger cabin and luggage compartment to overlap, which is another first for Rolls-Royce. To ensure a seamless and undisturbed passenger experience, the Cullinan employs a glass partition to isolate the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment.

Coming to the SUV’s powertrain, it’s powered by a 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine that churns out 571PS of power and 850Nm of peak torque. Unlike the rear-wheel driven Rolls-Royces uptill now, the Cullinan uses a new four-wheel-drive system. An electronically adjustable suspension that uses an air compression system further aids the SUV’s off-road prowess. The system actively pushes down any wheel that loses traction, which ensures the Cullinan never loses surface contact when wading through gravel, mud or rough trails. And thanks to the inclusion of variable ride height, it also benefits from a water wading capacity of 540mm.

Rolls-Royce has left no stone unturned in making the Cullinan packed with features. It gets a variety of driver aids including night vision and vision assist, including daytime and night-time wildlife & pedestrian warning, alertness assistant (a 4-camera system with panoramic view, all-round visibility and helicopter view), active cruise control, collision warning, cross-traffic warning, lane departure and lane change warning, 7x3 high-resolution head-up display and WiFi hotspot.