The SUV you knew would be coming: the Rolls Royce Cullinan. Let's be real here. All luxury brands have SUV's because rich people want SUV's.
That's why Rolls Royce has also built an SUV. And with that, they're able to serve their markets even better. Arab oil sheiks, Indian textile giants,
English footballers, or just people with lots of money. All of them can go to Rolls Royce for this huge, megalomane terrain vehicle.
In the blurb, Rolls Royce describes this car as follows: 'Our customers want to be able to get anywhere, in luxury but without any effort or compromise,
reaching the most rugged terrains for the most impressive experiences, everywhere in the world. Effortless anywhere."
In short, it should be able to get everywhere without too much trouble. However, if you ask me, people that buy this won't go off road very often.
And considering its weight, that's not a bad thing either.
Apparently, they didn't spend a lot of time on the design. As long as it was very big and comfortable, it was fine. And it's big.
It's 5.34 metres long and two metres wide, and it weighs almost 2.700 kg. Without anyone in it that is.
Also, because it's a Rolls Royce, you can have it customized to your likings. Bespoke they call that.
You can choose out of 44.000 colors. Don't ask me why, but it's possible. If you want it in RAL 90-10, just like the toilet door, that's not a problem.
If you want gold wheel nuts, you can get gold wheel nuts. Another nice detail is this pinstripe, it's handmade by a single man...
with a brush of squirrel hair.
Underneath the hood, we find the party piece. If we look at it, it even resembles the old engine from the Silver Shadow.
It's a V12, supported by a couple of turbo's producing 572 horsepower and 850 Nm torque, reached at 1.600 RPM. Not a lot, because the new...
Audi RS7 produces 600 horsepower and I've driven a Mercedes-Benz with 1.000 Nm of torque. Anyway, it's very powerful.
If you're worried about the fuel consumption, don't be. It just uses a lot of fuel, it even has an M-label.
I never knew it existed, but it has one That's redder than red.
To be honest, I do like the look of the rear. It looks less pompous than the front. But if you think 'where's the wiper',
they've hidden it neatly underneath the spoiler. Having a wiper in plain view would be a stupid idea, right?
Then, the boot. It's not as big as the rest of the car really. Just look at how far the wheel arches are on the inside.
Despite that, it's still spacious enough to pack a lot of things. Two golf bags for example.
What you don't want however when you open up the boot, is that the passengers get draft in their neck. That's why it has a little window here.
Nothing new though, because the Citroën C6 had that as well. Then there's the parcel shelf, which is very thick and covered in leather.
At the rear, this car has suicide doors which open like this. Of course, it has the umbrella's in both rear doors, sporting the Rolls Royce-logo.
On the inside of the door, there's a system which let the water flow away. Getting in is very easy this way.
I like the floor mats, which are this thick and made of lamb wool. If it was possible, I'd get in barefoot.
Everything is over the top in this car. It's incredibly luxurious and literally everything's in here. The finishing is of such high quality,
it almost rectifies the price. I'm in the back now in this hideous blue interior. I can't get behind the person who thought of that color, but anyway.
The seats back here are absolutely amazing. This car has two separate seats instead of a three abreast rear seat. And everything I need is here.
Massage seats, my own i-Drive-button, if I press this button my table folds out and if I press this one, my screen folds out.
On that screen, I can do everything the driver can as well.
The legroom is very royal in this car, so even though the boot is relatively small, it's all to enhance the legroom.
There are lots of ways to control the climate back here, you have curtains and just like a good Rolls Royce, your head is obscured from the outside.
The old Silver Shadow had that, this one has it as well. Additionally, you can close this curtain and no one will see you.
But that's not all, in the back of a car like this, you'd like something to drink. Luckily, that's possible with the whiskey bar.
With a glass flask, engraved with the Rolls Royce-logo. It also has two whiskey glasses with the logo. I wouldn't drop them,
If you don't like whiskey but instead want champagne, because there's something to celebrate, that's possible as well.
Just open this up and you'll find a small fridge with room for a bottle and two glasses. All in there, ready for you for €9.500.
Opening the doors is something you have to do yourself, but because you can't reach it from here, it closes itself with the push of a button.
Until you get behind the wheel, you won't truly notice this car is of a different level. It's so well built and so incredibly comfortable and quiet,
you'll never get that in any other car. Exactly what a Rolls Royce is supposed to make you feel like.
There once was the title 'best car of the world'. If you aim that at the driving abilities of this car, it would absolutely apply to the Cullinan.
The drive is so incredibly different than every other car I've ever driven. I've driven old Rolls Royces myself, like the Silver Shadow,
and if I compare this with that old one... In here, you can clearly see those classical aspects back. A very minimalistic yet very modern dashboard.
A power reserve gauge, speedometer... Digitally projected, but it just looks so good. Anyway, it's just above everything else.
It even goes for the stereo system in this car. It has an 18-canal amplifier and 18 speakers around you, and it'll cost you €9.500 extra.
That means I was wrong about the bar and rear seats earlier, because that optional extra actually costs €21.000.
It costs a serious amount of money but it's seriously good. No one will have anything to complain, this is automotive perfection.
It's the driving abilities and amount of luxury which really impress me. Sure, if you want the perfect off road car, you buy a Range Rover...
or a Land Cruiser. If you want the summum of luxurious transport, you buy a Rolls Royce Phantom, but if you want a high-up Rolls,
this might be the car you're looking for. The importer Cito from Eindhoven offers the Cullinan from a starting price of €417.000. If you want this...
particular car, it'll set you back €550.000. Most of which is added taxes, because it emits more than 300 grams of CO2.
You ought to bring a big bag of money with you...