New Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV revealed

Family focused Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV to cost in the region of £230,000, as Rolls-Royce seeks to top the luxury SUV market
This is the all-new Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The eagerly anticipated SUV marks a number of firsts for the luxury British brand; not only is it its first SUV, it’s the first Rolls-Royce with a tailgate and the first model that the company is happy to say is family orientated – at least in some versions.

Whatever configuration you choose, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan claims to set new standards at the top of the burgeoning luxury SUV market. It's a proper go-anywhere 4x4, too, but with the mantra that it has to be ‘effortless, everywhere’ – it is a Rolls-Royce after all.

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When you see the Cullinan in the metal, it appears surprisingly shapely and smaller than you’d expect – at 5,341mm it’s only 2mm longer than a Ghost, although it’s 216mm wider at 2164mm. It also sits 80mm lower than a Range Rover long wheelbase.

That striking bodywork is the result of five years of design work and the instruction to “go big” according to design boss Giles Taylor. “We didn’t want to be shy, we wanted a functional aesthetic look with no apology,” he told us.

“Yes, they are strong lines, but we wanted to magnify the sense of ultimate presence and capability.” The grille appears bigger than ever, sitting further forward than on Phantom, while the front lights are inset slightly with what Taylor describes as “tough brows”. The rear lights are inset, too, but without a chrome surround so they appear totally integrated with the bodywork.

The three-box shape with its two-stage tailgate and collection of horizontal and vertical lines is a development of one that, at one stage in the design process, was actually a booted SUV. The now shrunken bustle at the back still hints at a separate luggage compartment and that is partitioned off by a glass panel in some models.

Interior and tech
Without the viewing seat there’s 555-litres of space, rising to 600 litres with the luggage cover removed, with a maximum load length of 2,245mm.

There’s the choice of a folding rear three-seat bench for a more family-friendly format and a maximum luggage capacity of 1,930 litres or two more luxurious fixed chairs – either option sits higher than the front seats for a ‘Pavillion’ view forward, while Rolls-Royce claims more rear space than in a long-wheelbase Range Rover.