Crown jewel
FOR Spooky refinement, build quality, does things a bit differently to other SUVs
AGAINST Uneasy looks, fuel consumption, don’t have it for the practicality
No it hasn’t got any prettier More than five years on from its launch and Rolls Royce’s SUV is still most kindly described as an acquired taste Other opinions are available It hasn’t changed by the way in case you’re finding it doesn’t snag your eyeballs as much as it used to What’s happened in the intervening years is that car design hasn’t stood still Look at the BMW XM Merc EQS SUV etc and you’re forced to conclude styling’s slammed open the door marked “where taste goes to die” and taken a bold step through Maybe Rolls gave them all the confidence to do it
Right enough taking aim at soft targets Design isn’t the only thing that hasn’t stood still in the past half decade EVs have arrived To all intents and purposes you could convince passengers the Cullinan is electrically powered Drive gently and you can’t detect the pulse of a single cylinder and with no rev counter the power reserve indicator could just as easily suggest electric propulsion as petrol
But nothing’s changed here either It’s not gone hybrid or gained the Spectre’s electric underpinnings at least not yet so what we have is a softly blown twin turbo litre V developing lb ft at a mere rpm That’s the only figure that matters Like electric it appears not to have to work for its speed but instead glide up to whatever cruising velocity you deem fit It is swanlike All is chin up dignity and poise It’s like wafting around in a cloud You feel distant from everything There’s no suspension or road noise the ride is glossy and calm nothing intrudes There’s nothing quite like it Except a Phantom The ride comfort is extraordinary more downy than a Bentley a real step on from a Range Rover This soothes dampens and quashes The world slips by
The world also looks in If anything upsets the calm you feel in this car it’s the attention it draws It exposes you Is it worth it then? A Range Rover is a more handsome machine more attractive inside too and given a straight choice that’s the one I’d recommend But things aren’t that simple with the Cullinan It might be a similar size shape and weight but it’s a different sort of car Rather than the Cullinan aping the Range Rover it’s the Range Rover in its most upmarket guise that seeks to ape the Cullinan
It’s all about luxury The key battleground now has nothing to do with off road ability The Cullinan is merely SUV shaped It exists to repackage Rolls’ famous attributes in a shape that appeals to a more youthful perhaps family oriented audience You can have your Cullinan with split folding rear seats This would allow you to do an Ikea run with it You can also have your Cullinan with
a partition between human cargo and actual cargo This one did and further limited its practicality by including the Viewing Suite a pair of seats that whirr out of a cassette and extend over The Clasp That’s Rolls’ term for the split tailgate
Maximum carrying capacity isn’t an issue when your security detail will be in the Range Rover behind What may cause offence is that if their RR is a long wheelbase model it delivers more legroom than the Cullinan It’s surprising that as yet RollsRoyce hasn’t developed an extended wheelbase version of its SUV Still it’s not like you’ll be wanting to stretch your legs out Instead all you’ll do is take your shoes off and wriggle your toes in the bottomless shagpile Then sit back press the button to whisk the rearhinged door closed electrically look up and lose yourself in the twinkling starlight headliner see you’ve forgotten your cares and woes
This is real luxury and it is effortlessly convincing utterly unlike what passes for luxury from the German brands They’re all about hyperscreens endless electric motors a million shades of ambient light The agony of choice Nor is this the luxury of stylish minimalism that’s the Range Rover’s tactic and it’s very convincing This is old school It’s not particularly pretty inside either but the sheer tactility and quality the first time you adjust the heating brush the leather hear the door click shut these are moments you’ll remember because no other marque not even Bentley does it as well as this
You’ve got to be brave to enjoy it immune to the stares that bombard you because of what the Cullinan is and what it stands for It’s a conspicuous consumer returns mpg and costs more than an average dwelling It may be uncouth to talk of such things but prices start at while this Black Badge version a bit more power and darker “more urban” colour schemes comes in at This exists on a plane where people buy it because of its expense not despite its expense Mad world really But this is an entertainment experience as much as it is a conveyance
“THIS IS REAL LUXURY – AND IT IS EFFORTLESSLY CONVINCING ”