The off-road Rolls... for a princely sum!
Rolls-Royces were out in force at last week’s royal wedding. Princess Eugenie arrived at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in a vintage 1977 Phantom VI and two brand-new €550,000 Phantoms chauffeured the groom and his parents.
But behind the scenes was a forthcoming and yet-to-hit showrooms Rolls-Royce Cullinan, dropped off at Windsor Castle just days earlier for use by the Royal Mews fleet. And if they’d needed a driver, I was their man. Because this week I was among the first journalists to drive this new RollsRoyce – the marque’s first purposebuilt 4x4 – at the global launch in Wyoming.
And the car has another royal connection. It’s named after the legendary 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, unearthed in 1905 in South Africa as the largest, most flawless gem ever found, pieces of which adorn the Crown Jewels.
The Cullinan has been designed with a monarch in mind – right down to the commanding, high-set rear pavilion seats, sumptuous leather interior and extras including a champagne cooler.
But its truly jaw-dropping aspect is the car’s ability to climb steep mountain tracks with all the agility of a goat. Whizzing around the tightest of hairpins – part of a ski slope come winter – was aided by the Cullinan’s clever four-wheel steering by which the rear wheels can turn, within limits, independently of those in front.
The balance, poise and power was astonishing. This is a Rolls-Royce, for heaven’s sake, climbing up and down mountains off road.
Indeed, it’s a luxurious SUV with the capability to surprise and delight. Prices start at around €500,000, though Rolls-Royce reckons many customers will spend tens of thousands on expensive extras. It comes in two main styles. For off-roading, there’s the flexible five-seater, while for more formal, even regal, occasions there’s a fixed four-seater hatchback. Cocooned in luxury, the acceleration from its 6.75-litre, twin-turbo, V12 engine is awesome.
The handling is sharper and more precise than the more stately flagship Phantom limousine and it has a surprisingly tight turning circle.