In what is now being called the most anticipated car of 2018 and, may very well be, the most expected Rolls-Royce of all time, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan has just made its debut with the title of Rolls-Royce’s first ever SUV. The car is quite remarkable as not only does its practical yet contemporary design make it garner a distinctive difference from the other typically unostentatious SUV examples, but its all-terrain high body makes it the embodiment of an off-road, luxury vehicle that carries with it the saying that luxury travel is now Effortless, Everywhere. Furthermore, the Cullinan is named after the largest diamond ever unearthed, which is currently part of the British Crown Jewels, and is the second type of Rolls-Royce to feature the new cutting-edge aluminium ‘Architecture of Luxury’.
“The super-luxury lifestyle is evolving and Rolls-Royce is in the lead,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Luxury is no longer an urban concept. More and more it is about embracing and experiencing the wider world. Our customers expect to go everywhere in luxury, effortlessly and without compromise, conquering the most challenging terrain to enjoy life’s most enriching experiences, wherever they may be. For this reason, they have asked us to create a Rolls-Royce that offers uncompromised luxury wherever they dare to venture. Cullinan is that car. It is Effortless, Everywhere.
It is incomparable and dramatically evolves the parameters of super-luxury travel, translating Rolls-Royce’s ethos of ‘Effortlessness’ into physical capability, anywhere in the world. Cullinan will simply take the world in its stride.”
With a 6.75 litre twin-turbo V12 Rolls-Royce engine under the hood, it discharges the perfect amount of torque (850Nm) at the minimum level of revolutions (1,600rpm) directly to the new all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer system. The Cullinan was officially announced to the world three years ago by Rolls-Royce in order to give what their customers have been very curious about: a Rolls-Royce SUV that incorporates luxury, performance, usability and comfort for all-terrain. Most of these customers are very successful individuals who experience much travel as they work, so they wished for a ride where they are accompanied with nonpareil luxury on their extensively long business ventures.
“History set our precedent, and today Rolls-Royce answers its call to action,” comments Müller-Ötvös. “Our answer to the visionaries, adventurers, explorers and those who believe in the supremacy of liberty is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.”
The Rolls-Royce Cullinan concept was created with the fast moving and vigorous business of the automotive mobility in mind. This business had many dynamic concepts popping out such as SUV models, which were making appearances in constant intervals. The Cullinan came to be in the same manner: it was a new concept that needed perfecting to be accepted by the patrons of true luxury, which it was with flying colors.
“The proposition of this car is an engineering masterpiece, its off-road capability, whilst maintaining the world-famous ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ of Rolls-Royce,” comments Müller-Ötvös. “When we began engineering this car, these were the guiding principles.”
The engineering team who were behind the Cullinan’s creation had modified the Architecture of Luxury to the design template of a high-bodied car appointed to them by Giles Taylor and his personal design team as a result of its intrinsic adaptability, this allowed the Architecture of Luxury of the Cullinan truly be its own. The Cullinan utilizes its Architecture of Luxury in order to deliver unabated comfort, space and usability, advanced technology, incredible on-road/off-road driving capabilities, as well as a striking and simply iconic inner and outer presence. The car obtained tremendous stiffness for functional performance on rugged terrain whilst retaining the quality of comfort due to its extraordinary, all-new aluminium sub-structure.
“The drivetrain system we engineered for Cullinan had one key job to do,” states Caroline Krismer, Engineering Project Leader for Cullinan. “To bring the famed Rolls-Royce ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ to all other terrains possible, while ensuring class-leading on-road behaviour in the SUV sector.”
Via a wide-spread re-engineering of the existing air suspension system, the Cullinan is now able to transport its owner to destinations that were previously unreachable by past Rolls-Royce owners whilst still traveling in comfort and luxury. For times when you are driving off-road, the car’s built-in electronically controlled shock absorber adjustment system employs an air compression system to firmly drop any wheel it notices losing traction in order to safeguard any wheel that is making incessant contact with the terrain and so maximum torque is being properly distributed to all wheels.
“Put simply, what makes the car great on-road makes the car great off-road,” concludes Krismer.
The most notable function that makes the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Effortless, Everywhere is one single button, which is referred to as the ‘Everywhere’ button by Rolls-Royce; with only the press of the button, the car will mobilize all of its outstanding Rolls Royce engineering to vent out its dynamic off-roading prowess.
“The launch of a new Rolls-Royce model is always a seminal moment in the luxury industry”, said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Chairman of Rolls-Royce and Member of the Board of the BMW Group. “Today we are setting a new standard by creating a new class of motoring and motor car for customers who are well-connected, highly mobile and have a global perspective. They want a new type of motor car that gives them unbounded access in ultimate luxury. Their sense of adventure and daring demands a “go-anywhere in ultimate luxury” motor car that will both take them to and meet them at the pinnacle of life. Cullinan is that motor-car.”
“From the very beginning the design team treated this brand new Rolls-Royce as a unique, high bodied car. With global customer expectations in mind, our aim was two-fold – realise a presence to match the magnificent capability of Cullinan, whilst setting sector defining standards for luxury and elegance. We know that many of our luxury patrons pursue sports or leisure hobbies that require precisely this type of go anywhere vehicle – Cullinan’s design gesture had to possess an immediate sense of effortless accomplishment.”
The expression of making luxury Effortless, Everywhere was the beginning of change to Rolls-Royce’s approach on how they create an official Rolls-Royce SUV model. The most noticeable indication of this was the revolutionary tailgate of the Cullinan. Furthermore, the Cullinan also came with two rear configurations – Lounge Seats or Individual Seats – to suit the needs of the passengers.
“Cullinan is luxury in its purest form blended with perfect practicality and off-road capability,” comments Müller-Ötvös. “Effortless, Everywhere is not just the promise behind Cullinan. It’s the fact.”
The seats can be folded electronically in a host of configurations by pushing the apt button in either the boot or rear door pocket. The seats in the back can be folded entirely to create a leveled loading space or in a 2/3 and 1/3 split. Passengers in the rear cabin can bring along a huge load or even use the carpeted seat back as a temporary table. The rear compartment or boot area accommodates a standard 560 litres of space, which can rise to become 600 if the parcel shelf gets removed.
However, there is also another interesting feature that keeps the items in the boot from moving around and safely secures them in place. This feature is only possible because the base of the rear seats are positioned higher than the boot floor, which is a function never before seen in any other SUV. And if there is still need for more space, a loading strength of 2245mm and a load capacity of 1886 litres can be introduced by electronically lifting the boot floor to reach the seat base, which would then allow items slide through more smoothly.
The Individual Seat configuration, in particular, is set for those who choose luxury over the practicality of the SUV. This configuration focuses on the two individual rear seats that are separated by a Fixed Rear Centre Console that also includes a drinks cabinet with Rolls-Royce whisky glasses and decanter, champagne flutes and refrigerator. In addition, the seats can be arranged in a multitude of planes to give passengers in the rear a flexible and refreshing environment.
Another unique feature that turns the Cullinan into the first “three-box” SUV is a glass partition that separates the passenger cabin from the luggage compartment, thereby generating an impeccable cabin area without any cluttering luggage in the way.
Taylor and his design team transformed the car into a work of unrivaled luxury architecture as they gave it its timeless, signature Rolls Royce touches. The design encompasses the proper set or proportions found on other Rolls-Royce models as well as the same level of splendor and comfort. The Cullinan’s body is simply overwhelming with horizontal and vertical lines, a grille made from hand-polished stainless steel, and its iconic Rolls-Royce badge and Spirit of Ecstasy that reside above the line of the wing.
“The label SUV is now applied to anything with a two-box silhouette and the least suggestion of going off tarmac,” comments Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “We envisioned an authentic, three-box high-bodied all-terrain car with a convention-challenging design and absolute capability that would satisfy the adventurous urges of our clients.”
The interior design of the cabin is the combination of luxury that Rolls-Royce has been famous for and an uncomplicated, well-proportioned functionality to articulate the precise tenacity of the Cullinan. You will discover that whether it be the fascia and centre stack of the dashboard or the arm rests attached to the doors, the structural vertical and horizontal features complete the interior layout perfectly. In addition, the new contemporary ‘Box Grain’ black leather is applied as a cover over the upper fascia. What holds up the structure of the upper section is a durable cord of wood that has been shaped in three-dimensions to stream along the centre stack, whereas the dashboard is sheltered by leather cushions on both the top and at the end.
The seats throughout the Cullinan have a bold, eye-catching style, which were created with exemplary Rolls-Royce craftsmanship, that adds to the car’s already tenacious outer body. The seats include an up-to-date yet effortless horseshoe graphic of which accentuates them with auxiliary bolsters. Each seat aboard the Cullinan expresses a level of high-quality leather artistry, which can be recognized by the backrest panel that was conceived by a lone piece of leather in order to grant a remarkably three-dimensional facade.
The Cullinan is capable of either lowering itself by 40mm to make access easy and effortless for passengers and driver to begin their adventure or be elevated by 40mm to its standard height with a push of a button to give occupants a grand view on or off the road. Amazingly enough, with just a touch of the sensors that is on the exterior door handles, the doors will shut by themselves from outside the vehicle. The seats have both heated and ventilated functions, whereas all equipment and technology is on display in arms reach of the driver.
The front passenger seat and driver’s position has excellent access to the first time touch sensitivity central information screen that offers fast action functions, map views and vehicle set-up. Additionally, this portal can still be operated from the Spirit of Ecstasy controller, of which rests a top the central console alongside the ‘Off-Road’ button, Hill Descent Control button and Air Suspension height adjustment controls.
There is a wide-range of cutting-edge technological installments aboard the Rolls-Royce Cullinan such as: Night Vision and Vision Assist including daytime and night-time Wildlife & Pedestrian warning; Alertness Assistant; a 4-Camera system with Panoramic View, all-round visibility and helicopter view; Active Cruise Control; Collision Warning; Cross-Traffic Warning, Lane Departure and Lane Change Warning; an industry leading 7×3 High-Resolution Head-Up Display, WiFi hotspot, and of course the latest Navigation and Entertainment Systems.
You will never be disconnected from your tablet or any other electronic device and in need of charging thanks to the five USB ports around the cabin, whilst phones, as an exception to the rule, can be charged wirelessly in the front of the cabin. In addition, occupants will never need to fear getting dirt on themselves as both the rear and front coach doors keep all dirt outside the vehicle; a unique feature that only Rolls-Royce would ever have thought of implementing into their luxury automobiles.
For more information visit: www.Rolls-RoyceMotorCars.com/Cullinan
Images Courtesy of: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
