Heightened Elegance, Customizable Tech Come to New Rolls-Royce SUV

The first Rolls-Royce sport utility vehicle (SUV) has been ushered into a new generation, complete with the freshest connected technology the super-luxury automaker offers, but without an electrified powertrain.

It has been six years since the model debuted, blending demands of modern motorists with the classic, customizable attributes of Rolls-Royce. “Cullinan Series II has been created to build on that success. By integrating new technologies, meticulously considered design updates and innovative opportunities for self-expression through Bespoke, we retain everything our clients love about this motor car yet ensure that Cullinan will transcend the SUV genre – and automotive space – for many years to come,” said Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in a press release.

Rolls-Royce aimed to continue Cullinan’s reputation as being a rugged off-roader capable of conquering some of the toughest conditions Earth offers, all while keeping a driver and passengers in secure comfort and style, in the new generation. The automaker was also keen to make Cullinan just as good in an urban environment.

Unlike owners of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, a large number of Cullinan owners drive themselves. When it was launched, more than 70 percent of Cullinans were driven by chauffeurs. Over the past six years that number has steeply declined to just 10 percent.

The automaker attributes this change to a drop in the average age of a Rolls-Royce owner over the last decade, helped by the introduction of a new Ghost and the Cullinan, moving the number from age 56 in 2010 to 43 today.

Like other Rolls-Royce motor cars, the new Cullinan takes design cues from luxury yachts with crisp lines and edges.

Cullinan retains its signature upright looks for the new generation, with even more accented verticality courtesy of the elongated headlights. The Pantheon grille is now illuminated and better connected to the aesthetics of the headlamps via a cohesive horizon line linking its design to Phantom.

A feature line now accents the rear, running from the taillights to the center of the floating “RR” center caps of the rear wheel, on each side of the SUV.

The model’s exhaust surrounds are now presented in mirror-finish stainless steel and integrated flush to the body. This matches the new brushed stainless steel protective plate that runs between the exhaust outlets and flows directly under the SUV.

Cullinan’s design team has upped its wheel size to 23 inches. Each wheel is milled from a billet of aluminum.

Cullinan Series II remains powered by the company’s 6.75-liter V12 engine with no electrified variant offered. The Spectre coupé remains the company’s only electric vehicle offering. The company has previously stated that its entire portfolio would be electrified by 2030.

The biggest change to Cullinan’s interior for the new generation is the pillar-to-pillar glass-panel fascia that features on the upper portion of the car’s dashboard. Cullinan also gets digital dashboard technology, first shown in Spectre. Cullinan’s display can be customized, technoology Rolls-Royce calls “Spirit”.

What is Compass Viewpoint?

Rolls-Royce Reaches Out to Younger Buyers

Installing connected technology in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan speaks to the super-luxury automaker’s efforts to reach out to younger customers. This, combined with new Bespoke approaches to customization are sure to make the SUV a hit with brand loyalists and new customers despite a lack of powertrain electrification.

Spirit combines that tech with Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private members app, allowing owners to send destinations to their vehicle, view Cullinan’s location remotely, and lock/unlock the model.

Connectivity has been improved for this generation, allowing up to two streaming devices to be connected to the rear screens. The customizable screen interfaces manage massage, heating and cooling functions. Bluetooth headphones can be paired with the screens, independently.

An 18-speaker bespoke audio system has been installed in the model, with technology that utilized the car’s aluminum sills to turn the entire vehicle into a subwoofer.

Cullinan receives an illuminated fascia panel, situatied in front of the front passenger, in this generation. The feature is already available in Ghost and Spectre. The panel features 7,000 graphical elements printed on multiple layers of glass to give the perception of depth. Bespoke clients are able to create their own unique motif.

A classic element of Rolls-Royce design, the clock cabinet, has been refreshed to include an inset vitrine display of an analog timepiece and an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy figurine.

New textiles are available in Cullinan Series II, including a rayon fabric made from bamboo that was inspired by the bamboo grove in the Jardin Botanique du Royal on the Côte d’Azur, which neighbors Rolls-Royce founder Sir Henry Royce’s former winter home, Villa Mimosa.

When installed, the Duality Twill rayon interior can incorporate put o 2.2 million stitches and 11 miles of thread. It takes 20 hours to construct and is done so in full at the Rolls-Royce production facility in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.

Artisans at Goodwood have integrated a new craft technique in Cullinan, creating a pattern inspired by the shapes of clouds. It consists of 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimeter perforations.

For the first time in company history, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Black Badge version of a model, when it revealed the new Black Badge Cullinan alongside the traditional Series II model. Those models darken the appearance of the Cullinan with Technical Carbon paint and accent elements.

Reservations for the new Cullinan are ongoing. Pricing is determined based on the level of customization chosen by each order, but starts north of $375,000.

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