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Rediff.com  » Business » Rolls-Royce Cullinan is truly a work of art

Rolls-Royce Cullinan is truly a work of art

Last updated on: June 30, 2020 10:05 IST
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The Cullinan’s exterior is completely customisable, and hence you get to choose exactly how your it should look.

The hand-built interior offers immaculate precision and makes you feel exclusive, as every Rolls-Royce does.

Driving this vehicle is a breeze, and the gearbox functions like it does not exist.

Rolls-Royce needs no introduction as a luxury car brand.

So when the company announced that they would be launching an SUV, the expectations were quite high, and so was the excitement.

When launched the car was received with some criticism about the design, but was, and still stands largely successful among buyers.

 

Today we are here to find out if the Cullinan is a true descendant of Rolls-Royce’s stunning portfolio of land-yachts.

Exterior

The design is one of the most polarising aspects of the Cullinan.

Rolls-Royce have tried to make the Phantom into an SUV, and it has worked for the large part.

While it lacks the menacing flair that the Phantom possesses, the car is imposing and the distinct design language is instantly recognisable when you gaze on the Cullinan.

The weighted hub caps are still present, and so are the suicide doors.

See this on the road, and you would be finding yourself making way for it.

All the major design aspects like the silhouette, and the headlight geometry, tail-light assembly are all quintessentially Rolls-Royce.

The Cullinan’s exterior is completely customisable, and hence you get to choose exactly how your it should look.

Rolls-Royce has thousands of paint schemes available, or you can even send in any paint colour and they will get it done.

Such is the level of attention this company provides to its products.

With the exterior of the Cullinan, it is very clear that Rolls-Royce wants it to be seen as an extension of the Phantom family.

Interior

Step up into the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and you are greeted by the finest materials that have ever found themselves in a car, let alone an SUV.

The interior is something Rolls-Royce have perfected, and that is very much seen inside here.

The hand-built interior offers immaculate precision and makes you feel exclusive, as every Rolls-Royce does.

But do not let the classic looking interior make you think that this car is short on equipment.

This is where the BMW ownership comes into great use.

Hidden behind the simple blue-red temperature dials is an automatic climate control, 4 zones of it.

The simple looking steering wheel is home to a vast of stereo and adaptive cruise control buttons.

Behind the steering wheel are a set of classic looking dials.

These dials are digital.

That is kind of the theme in this interior, its classic but is deceivingly modern!

The car comes with all sorts of technology like 360 degree camera, and the aforementioned adaptive cruise control.

The rear seats, where most Rolls-Royce owners would be spending their time are draped with the finest leather that the world has seen and are extremely comfortable to be on.

The fact that they are handmade is only realized when you are told so.

Such is the prowess of perfection of the craftsmanship that Rolls-Royce has.

A rear seat display can be optioned out that essentially mirrors the functionality of the BMW iDrive based infotainment system.

Still it is presented in a beautiful way, with motors and metallic buttons and smooth motion.

That presentation justifies the price tag of the option, if you are to buy this vehicle.

The fridge behind the back seats is home to 2 champagne glasses, as is customary with Rolls-Royce at this point.

The company can also customise for any constellations that you ask for using thousands of LEDs that inlay the headliner, if you option the starlight headliner.

Overall, this interior is a rolling 7-star hotel, and not even a single soul can be seen drawing complaints out of a work of art, that is this interior.

Once again, as mentioned everything is customisable, this car is not only yours by registration, but also by ideology and design.

Drive

Press the start button, and the ‘Spirit Of Ecstasy’, majestically rises up, and under her the 6.75-litre V12 engine whirrs into life.

The car is barely audible and is smooth as the car’s velvet carpets (made of wool).

The car produces 600 horsepower and 900 Nm of torque at 1700 RPM.

The Black Badge does 0-100 km/hr in 4.9 seconds.

But honestly, talking about numbers is quite pointless for a car like this.

Driving this vehicle is a breeze, and the gearbox functions like it does not exist.

The suspension is set up perfectly and bumps are rarely felt thanks to the proactive suspension system that alters stiffness upon examining the road ahead.

Switch to the backseat and the silence is amplified.

The luxury is felt with a sense of potency that is truly unparalleled.

The smoothness is the only thing you can feel about this vehicle, and that is something that Rolls-Royce has done really well.

This car has a low mode with its 8-speed gearbox, and can technically off-road, although there are no modes available other than a single off-road button.

But the only time the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is ever going to get even close to off-roading is when the owner pays a visit to his/her farmhouse.

Fuel economy is in single digits, but Rolls-Royce has taken care of that by giving a petrol tank with a capacity in the order of 3 digits (100-litres)! The Black Badge gets performance upgrades like bigger brake discs and a shorter pedal play.

It is underpinned by an all aluminum platform dubbed as the ‘Architecture of Luxury’.

The car handles really well for how big it is and the visibility is great.

The steering is quite light for city traffic but weighs up quite nicely at higher speeds.

All in all, you cannot be disappointed with the way this car drives or feels.

The car’s smoothness is one of its biggest strengths.

Conclusion

All of what we have seen in the Cullinan has already been done in other Rolls-Royce or BMW vehicles.

But what warrants a special moment for the Cullinan or any Rolls-Royce car for that matter is the symphony of execution.

One can feel the passion of the person who has orchestrated this car.

Everything not only works, but works with a sense of harmony and smoothness that is incredibly satisfying.

It is truly a work of art.

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