In 2018, Rolls-Royce launched its first Cullinan SUV, which was a first for the British brand in many ways: never before had any Rolls-Royce have a four-wheel drive and a four-wheel steering or more than four doors. The bold move worked: the Cullinan quickly became, in the company's understated words, ‘the most sought-after model’ and refreshed the portrait of a typical buyer. More than 90 per cent of Cullinan owners drive the car themselves (which is rather unusual for the British brand), and the average age of an owner has recently decreased from 56 to 43 years.
The company did not make radical changes to its most successful model. Against the modern trend, the new generation of Cullinan Series II is not even a plug-in hybrid — the grandiose ‘family station wagon’ still runs a petrol engine with a traditional gearbox.
The differences are found mainly on the outside — designers have made an effort to ensure that the best-selling model better suits the tastes of a younger target audience without losing its trademark stately stance. The 2025 Cullinan naturally retains the iconic Pantheon grille, upgraded with strips of running lights flowing down from the rectangular headlights, emphasising the width of the car and masking its unremarkable height. En face and at night the car resembles a palace facade — both in terms of size and solemnity. New air intakes expand outwards, also making the car look wider and lower, and V-shaped notch on a bumper, according to representatives of Rolls-Royce, should cause associations with a yacht's bow cutting through waves, while the curve of the rear bumper and retractable seats in the trunk resemble a beach club on a typical motor yacht.
The side view is in keeping with the ‘three strokes of the pen’ philosophy that has guided the creation of all Rolls-Royce masterpieces for many years. The monumental silhouette began with three lines on a sheet of paper and is instantly recognisable. The first stroke begins at the edge of a bonnet and gracefully flows through a roof up to rear lights. The second is a powerful vertical of a radiator grille, giving confidence to the profile. The third line completes the silhouette from below, like a ship's hull in water. These are the door sills, highlighted by gloss black trim, and the line drawn from the tail lights to the wheel hubs. They visually lift the rear of the car. The wheel discs, which have grown to 23 inches in diameter, do not look too large against the background of the huge body.
The most noticeable innovation inside is the full-width glass covering the digital instrumentation in front of the driver and the central touchscreen. In the previous generation model, the central screen could be hidden under a blank panel in the colour of the interior, but now this high-tech element is fixed in place and visible at all times. It displays the interface of the latest Rolls-Royce multimedia system called Spirit, which first appeared on the Spectre EV. The part of the glass panel in front of the passenger is purely decorative. It is decorated with the Cullinan logo and a pattern applied using a unique technology: seven thousand dots are laser engraved on the dark glass at different angles and depths, forming a three-dimensional cityscape with the silhouettes of skyscrapers. When ordering, the owner will be able to choose any pattern for the front panel. Next to the centre screen there is a niche where a classic hand clock and a silver ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ mysteriously float against the darkness. When the driver gets into the car, the front panel is illuminated in three stages — the instrument scales, then the pattern in front of the passenger, then the clock and the winged statuette emerge from the gloom. In the evening, it's a whole spectacle.
The seats in the latest generation car can be upholstered in a new material called Duality Twill. The luxurious fabric is made from bamboo and embroidered with the stylised initials RR, a process that takes 20 hours and 20 million stitches. The textile upholstery of the interior also refers to Rolls-Royce of the early XX century, where leather was used exclusively for the driver's seat.
The engine and transmission are unchanged — the car is powered by the same mighty V12 with a displacement of 6.7 litres and an output of 563 hp. More than enough to float through space, if necessary, powerfully and smoothly rushing forward under the soft shifts of the 8-speed gearbox. An even more exclusive and powerful Black Badge version is also available, offering extra 30bhp along with blacked out chrome trim.
The updated Cullinan is available to order from this summer, with the first cars being delivered to owners later in the year.
