I have been waiting for an SUV from Rolls Royce for a long time. The SUV market is a dream land for any car manufacturer. People from any segment love to buy SUVs with any style. For Rolls-Royce, it was a really bold decision to offer an SUV under the Rolls-Royce name. However, I don’t find it that awkward.
Nowadays, you can buy an enterprise level cloud service from a book store, Amazon Web Services. Your mobile phone operator basically acts as an internet service provider. You pay to watch TV-Series on Netflix, while they are free on BBC. So, the Rolls-Royce and SUV concepts are not that far away from one another.
Do I like the Cullinan? Yes, kind of. The only missing features are a long-range gearbox and proper differential locks. Without these toys, you can’t really do off-road. However, people don’t really care about this. They wish to own a Rolls-Royce SUV that can drive them to the Swiss Alps or in the untouched deserts of Dubai.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to view the interior of the finished vehicle. As I have vanished from the eye of the car industry, it is not that easy to see a vehicle before anyone else. Alternatively, I have to be an influencer (aka you have lots of followers, whether real or fake).
Anyway, from what I have seen with my limited window, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan does look better than the Benteyga. The Phantom’s modular platform has been used for the Cullinan. The engine is still a BMW V12 with heavy modifications and a ZF automatic gearbox. I can’t ignore the know-how of BMW’s xDrive technology from the X-Series vehicles.
Never underestimate BMW’s xDrive technology. It is one of the most rapidly responding traction control systems on the market. The luxury of Rolls-Royce is the pinnacle, and Range Rover only has the SV Coupe to keep up the race. The personalisation is something I really don’t like, but many people love it, and that’s where Rolls-Royce takes over the game.
Overall, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a good-looking SUV and much smaller than the Phantom (hopefully). Will it change the SUV market? Yes, for the luxury segment, but the Toyota Land Cruiser will not be affected by the Cullinan. I am definitely sure that Rolls-Royce will increase their sales figures with the SUV. They have been losing customers to Land Rover and Bentley for a long time. Now it is time to take them back.
Would I buy it? Interestingly, I liked it. I am not a Rolls-Royce customer, not really into the personalisation drama, but the Cullinan is nice.
