Named after the largest diamond ever discovered, one which now resides in the British Crown Jewels, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a high-bodied, all-terrain luxury car which made its world debut earlier this year. According to Rolls-Royce, the Cullinan is the first-ever “three-box” SUV in the segment. A glass partition wall separates the passengers from the rear luggage compartment, in an attempt to isolate the rear passengers from their cargo.
Underpinning the new Cullinan, as well as the Phantom, is a new custom architecture which provides superior ride stiffness, smoothness and silence. Rolls-Royce calls it the “Architecture of Luxury.”
Design wise, the front end’s layout is similar to the eighth-generation Phantom’s, but everything is blockier, bulkier. The chrome grille is a bit more understated than the Phantom’s, yet out back, the Cullinan’s D-pillar is just as beefy. The spoiler is very obviously for slipping through the wind, and quite unique for a Rolls.
The Cullinan’s quoted kerb weight is 2660kg, 100kg more than the Phantom’s official figure and 200kg more than the Bentley Bentayga.
Rear seat passengers will be treated to either one of two seat configurations; Lounge Seats or Individual Seats. If you decide to choose the Individual Seats for the rear, you get two thrones, separated by a “Fixed Rear Centre Console”, which offers a drinks cabinet filled with whiskey glasses and decanter, as well as champagne flutes and refrigerator.
Under the skin lies a very similar configuration to the new Phantom VIII. Powering the Cullinan is the same 6.75 liter twin-turbocharged V12 as the Phantom and it makes the same 563 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Paired to that engine is an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a Rolls Royce-specific all-wheel drive system.
To showcase the Cullinan in all its glory, the folks at Rolls-Royce put together a photoshoot in the beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
