The Cullinan is here. This is what you need to know...
1) It is large.
You'd expect that from Rolls-Royce, but let's put its capaciousness into perspective: at 5.3m it's longer than a long-wheelbase Mercedes S-Class. The wheelbase alone is practically the length of an entire VW Up. It is wider than a Range Rover, too - and at 2,660kg, over 200kg heavier.
2) It's expensive.
Again, you'll have assumed that coming in, but the £250,000 starting price makes it the best part of £100k costlier than a W12-engined Bentley Bentayga. And that'll be the jumping off point.
3) It's based on the Phantom.
Naturally there has been a "thorough re-engineering" of the architecture, but the Cullinan is unequivocally a sharer - and that goes for the self-levelling air suspension, too, albeit with larger volume struts. There are active anti-roll bars as well, which you'd suspect makes good use of.
4) It has four-wheel drive, in the BMW vogue.
By that we mean the drive runs forward from the gearbox, which is a torque converter supplied by ZF. There's no low ratio function, but Rolls has supplied an 'Everywhere' button to do exactly what it says on the tin.
5) Which includes going off road.
That 'Everywhere' button automatically alters a dozen powertrain and suspension elements to best suit the terrain. In addition to its 540mm wading depth, and "commanding" ride height, it has already been demonstrated to allow the Cullinan to go where previous Rolls-Royces would have feared to tread.
6) It's powerful, but not class-leadingly so.
The Phantom's 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 delivers 570hp and 627lb ft of torque - which is a lot, but notably less than the W12 engine aboard the Bentayga. Not that it's meant to be about flat-out speed; Rolls has instead focused on peak twist arriving as low as possible. From 1,600rpm, in fact...
7) It's practical, sort of.
Available with rear bench seats, as well as a more luxurious 2+2 set up, the Cullinan also boasts up to 600-litres of boot space (along with a split tailgate), making it a truly usable SUV. Albeit one only capable of 18.8mpg.
8) It's business at the front, party at the back.
Customisation takes the Cullinan into previously unexplored territory, with the option of two folding seats and a table electronically extending from the boot floor. It's described only as a starting point, from which customers can imagine the possibilities for their own cars.
9) Rolls-Royce expects it to be its best seller.
Currently producing up to 4,000 cars per year, Rolls predicts that number to increase by as much as 50 per cent going forward thanks to the Cullinan. With that £250,000 price tag and the range of customisation options available, the increase in profits it generates could be even greater.
10) It's causing a stir.
As with the Cayenne and Bentayga before it, a debut SUV from a marque previously unassociated with the segment will divide opinion. So far it's been met with a great deal of derision, compared to Postman Pat's van and a London taxi. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and, of course, only skin deep. So does the go-anywhere ability and unparallelled luxury beneath the Cullinan's design overcome its boxy shape and ungainly stance? Is its design even that bad to begin with? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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