FILTHY RICH
When Jon Wall took their opulent new Cullinan SUV out for a test drive through the American Rockies, the Rolls-royce people encouraged him to return it covered in muck. So he did
It’s not often you climb aboard a Rolls-royce and are sent off into the wilds with the understanding that, when you return it around eight hours and a couple of hundred kilometres later, it’s going to be dirty. But then, unless your name is Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as the World War I hero Lawrence of Arabia, who in his campaigns across the desert was photographed riding aboard an extremely grimy Silver Ghost, it’s doubtful that any car bearing the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament you’ve ever travelled in has been anything other than spotless.
The vehicle that I’m driving, however, is a very different proposition from any Rolls-royce we’ve seen before. The motor manufacturer’s first
suv, the Cullinan – which, after a lengthy gestation and countless socialmedia teases, was finally revealed to the world via a webcast in May – combines the company’s customary head-spinning luxury with off-road abilities we’d hitherto never have associated with the august British brand. And to underscore those facts, I’ve been brought deep into the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, where, in a spectacular autumnal setting of snow-capped mountains, rushing rivers, golden aspen forests and dusty trails – a backdrop normally suggestive of Stetson-wearing cowboys but never stately Rolls-royces – I’ve been invited to put this astounding new monster through its paces.
This, of course, is prime suv country, one of those areas of the us where the footprint of the average runabout is similar to that of a decent-sized residence in some countries. So that when standing next to the ubiquitous Cadillac Escalades, nine-seat Chevy Suburbans and Ford F150 pickups, the Cullinan doesn’t look excessive at all – or at least, not in terms of size. Make no mistake though. This new Rolls is huge and it’s in no way out of place on highways such as these.
The numbers say it all. The Cullinan measures more than 5.3m from front to rear, which is just a few centimetres short of a full-sized Ghost limousine. At almost 1.84m high, it’s likely taller than most passengers, and its 2.16m girth makes it wider than many trucks. That it weighs just 2,660kg dry, however, is a testament to its aluminium-rich Architecture of Luxury spaceframe construction – I say “just”, because you must remember the Cullinan has a gargantuan, 6.75L twin-turbo V12 up front, a heavy and complex four-wheel-drive