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18-05-2018 | Automotive Engineering | News | Article

Rolls-Royce unveils its first SUV – the Cullinan

Author: Patrick Schäfer

1:30 min reading time

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With the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the British car firm unveils its first SUV. This all-terrain vehicle is intended for people who drive themselves, rather than employing a chauffeur, and can therefore also be configured as a "family car".

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which is 5,341 millimetres long, 2,164 millimetres wide and 1,835 millimetres high, is available in two versions: Lounge Seats and Individual Seats. The adaptive air suspension lowers by 40 millimetres to enable easier access to the interior, which the 3,295-millimetre wheelbase renders very spacious. 

The manufacturer also refers to this model as the "three-box" SUV, because a glass window separates the rear of the passenger compartment from the boot. This makes for a quieter interior with constant temperatures. What's more, the rear seats in the Lounge Seats version fold forwards – a first in a Rolls-Royce. The electric boot lid, known as "The Clasp", is another novelty for the firm. It enables the boot's 526-litre capacity to be expanded to 1,930 litres if needed, whilst allowing easy loading. 

"Incomparable on-road and off-road experience"

Although there is also a chauffeur version with two individual seats in the rear, the Cullinan was still developed as a car for people who drive themselves. This is evident from the smaller, thick steering wheel. This SUV is intended to deliver an "incomparable on-road and off-road experience". There's an "Everywhere" button, for example, which unleashes the vehicle's off-road potential. Poor roads with mud, gravel, sand and even water should pose no problem for this chassis with double wishbone front axle, five-link rear axle and wading depth of 540 millimetres.

The engine is a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12, which achieves 420 kW (571 hp) and pumps 850 Newton-metres of torque to the crankshaft at just 1,600 rpm. As in previous Rolls-Royce cars, these figures can be translated as "adequate", because even with its aluminium spaceframe chassis, the Cullinan weighs in at 2,660 kilos. An automatic gearbox transfers power to all four wheels. Despite its four-wheel steering, the SUV has a huge turning circle of 13.23 metres.

In terms of driver assistance, this luxury SUV is the state of the art: as well as an Alertness Assistant, a four-camera system, warnings about pedestrians and animals, and adaptive cruise control, sensors also warn the driver of collision risks, crossing traffic, lane drifting and lane changing.

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