Rolls-Royce Cullinan: First impression

Which is the first name that comes to mind when you think about a luxury grand tourer? If you have a lot of names going on in your mind, narrow them down. Think of car manufacturer that makes class-oriented luxury cars that are almost like self-efficient vanity van lounge of a kind.

If you are thinking what most people typically would, it’s is the Rolls-Royce. A name that has its presence in the high-class luxury cars since eternity and has been the toughest competitor to the likes of Bentley.

In the Rolls-Royce Malaysian lineup, the Cullinan is presently the newest offering from the company and was launched on January 24, 2018. It is a highly customisable vehicle and can be had in both four and five seater layouts.

Want to know more? Read along to get the first impression on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

In terms of designing

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is all about sheer class and grandeur. It is an all-terrain luxury off-road SUV for sure, but the comfort bits tends to overshadow the ruggedness. It has a boxy appearance with sharp bends, plain fenders, and a very prominent window line.

The front section looks chunky and masculine with a rectangular front grille done in polished stainless steel and showcases a lot of vertical slats. The headlamps are rectangular and sharp too.

The appearance is absolutely imposing, thanks to the huge dimensions and bulky appearance. To start things off, it is 5,341 mm in length and has a wheelbase of 3,295 mm. Get more in-depth into the dimensions and you will find that at 2,660 kilograms, it is200 kilograms heavier than its closest competitor, the Bentley Bentayga. It rides on 22-inch 7-spoke alloy wheels.

Inside the cabin

The settings inside the Rolls-Royce is plush and extravagant. Moreover, the number of choices for the interior is high, though the model that was displayed at the launch event had a complete dark theme with Scivaro Grey leather upholstery.

There are a lot of trim bits added to the cabin, like the shiny stainless steel inserts all around. The rear seating can be had in either an individual seating for two or in a lounge bench for three. The seats back there are the most comfortable ones in the car. Moreover, the lounge seating can be folded electronically via a button. The folding can either be for the full row or for ⅓ and ⅔ layouts.

As for the individual seats, there is a fixed centre console that has a drinks’ cabinet with the Rolls-Royce decanter and whiskey glasses. The cabinet is refrigerated too.

Under the hood

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is not just about class, but power too. In fact, being an off-road friendly SUV, the grand tourer has a pretty big engine and high power production. The 6.75-litre V12 twin-turbo engine can churn out a maximum power of 563 bhp at 5,000 rpm, along with a peak torque of 850 Nm at 1,600 rpm. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission gearbox.

The all-wheel-drive system is accompanied by an electronically controlled air suspension and also four different selectable programmes in the off-road mode itself.

Extra available kit

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is offered with an extra kit, which includes bespoke additions. There is an 18-speaker audio system along with a Rear Theatre package. Also, an individual entertainment touchscreen is also added to the kit. The electronics include five USB ports within the cabin, wireless charging pad at the front and Wi-Fi hotspot.

Summary

Starting at RM 1.8 million, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is elusive and exclusive at the same time. However, the base variant starts at RM 1.5 million. The company has managed to mix and tame power and ruggedness with sheer grandeur.

It has everything that could fall under “justifying the price tag” notion, be it the comfort or the feedback from the accelerator pedal. And very rightly so, it is the perfect competitor to go up against the parallel power, the Bentley Bentayga.