By Hercules Rodrigues
Rolls Royce has finally unveiled their most anticipated model in its line-up The Cullinan. The all-terrain high bodied car as Rolls Royce calls it is built on a Space frame Architecture platform and gets the Cullinan naming from a Carat jewel extracted from a jewel from a South African mine in the year 1905.
Speaking of the design of the Cullinan. The face has the large pantheon stainless steel grille and eyebrow like LED daytime running lamps. Coming to the side the first thing to catch your eye will be the Suicide doors, a strong waistline and large 22-inch alloy wheels. The rear gets a clean look and dropping roofline and according to Rolls Royce the protruding boot lid reminiscent of the D-Black Rolls-Royces of the 1930’s.
Inside the Cullinan is pure luxury comfort. The dashboard and upholstery are wrapped in bespoke leather and fabrics. The seating configuration is a five-seater, but buyers can choose for the four-seat layout. The four seat Cullinan gets individual seats at the back and is separated by a drink cabinet which stores champagne fluents and a refrigerator. The luggage compartment and the second row are separated by a glass partition which in return creates a more silenced and temperature suited environment in the cabin even with the tailgate open.
Speaking of which the luggage area has two leather wrapped seats and a cocktail table which extends out with a touch of a button. The Cullinan also has a Phantom inspired dashboard, the steering wheel is smaller yet has a thicker rim, the infotainment system is a touchscreen unit a first for Rolls Royce and the instrument cluster is all-digital one.
The Cullinan comes with Pedestrian and Wildlife warning, night vision, Cross lane, lane departure warnings, four cameras, collision alert. Features such as Wi-Fi hotspot, heads up display and massage options for all seats. The Cullinan draws power from a 6.75 litre V12 petrol engine which puts out 563 bhp and 850 nm torque which comes in as early as 1,600rpm (being surpassingly good for an SUV), The Cullinan has an electronically limited top speed of 250kmph
While we all know the Cullinan gets AWD, Rolls Royce has also added an Everyday mode which when turned on after pressing the button marked off-road on the centre console can be further customized for wet grass, sand, snow, gravel and rough track. The Cullinan can wade its way through 540mm of water and should any wheel loose traction, the air suspension will push down the wheel with the least traction.
Ride quality is taken care of by the self-levelling air suspension which makes tonnes of calculations every second with data being generated from the road, wheel articulation and speed in order to deliver a perfect and luxurious ride experience.
Rolls Royce is expected to get the Cullinan in India by end of 2018 or early next year.