Rolls Royce SUV, er XUV, is fantastic, confirms ‘CarWow’
Cullinan Black Badge has a huge price tag and delivers the expected level of luxury and exclusivity.
Since its founding in 1906, Rolls Royce has cultivated an exclusive image by designing and manufacturing cars that are incredibly luxurious and very high quality. But that doesn’t make them immune from having to adapt to a changing automotive landscape in which high-end manufacturers have to respond to the increasing popularity of SUVs. With the release of the Cullinan SUV (or XUV as they call it) Rolls Royce is joining the ranks of companies like Aston Martin and Lamborghini that now offer an SUV in their lineup. “This is the first-ever SUV or four-wheel-drive since Rolls Royce was founded back in 1906,” says Mat Watson in his CarWow review of the new Rolls Royce Cullinan. The example that CarWow tests isn’t just any Cullinan either. It’s the Black Badge edition, which is even more exclusive than the standard Rolls Royce Cullinan. The options on their tester brought the price up to $487,000.
As the name suggests, the chrome exterior trim of the Black Badge is blacked out. The special edition also comes with special 22-inch alloys rather than the “normal, puny 21s.” The wheels hide special brakes and red calipers. The car also has some frankly ridiculous options. For example, for about $8,300, you can spec out your Rolls with the Shooting Star headliner. The LEDs in the headliner mirror the sky over the Goodwood factory where the Cullinan is manufactured. You can even get a tow hitch that pops out from under the rear bumper with a touch of a button. And you can get umbrellas that are cleverly stored inside the back doors.
And lest you think that the Culling is just a fancied-up X7 from Rolls Royce’s parent company BMW, it’s not. The Cullinan is based on the Phantom sedan. “It’s a proper Rolls, built in Britain, in Goodwood.” The interior of Cullinan is a sea of soft leather, high-quality metal components and in this case a scattering of carbon fiber trim. The only plastic CarWow can find are the controls for the steering wheel on the steering column.  “The interior feels just like a Rolls Royce should,” says CarWow. Even the grab handles are made of metal and leather. “Oh yea, living the Rolls Royce lifestyle,” sats CarWow. Overall CarWow is impressed with the Cullinan Black Badge. But the styling gets some criticism. “This is the first SUV with a three-box design… but I’m not quite buying it.” CarWow thinks that the Cullinan’s styling is similar to the common black taxis in London.
The power back doors are also a disappointment. These close very easily by pressing a button in the interior. The problem comes when you have to open them. The power function does not apply for opening them, so you have to awkwardly push from the front area of the rear-hinged door to open them. As CarWow says, presumably the door will usually be opened for you, since you’re probably someone important if you’re in the back of a Cullinan. As far as trunk space, the big Rolls has more capacity than a Bentley Bentayga but less room than the Aston Martin DBX.
So what’s the Cullinan like on the road? With 600 horsepower and 663 ft/lbs of torque, it is certainly not slow. Rather than a Sport button, the Black Badge version has a “Low” button that changes the way the car responds. “The gears change with more ferocity when you’re in this Low mode,” says CarWow. “The suspension is firmer as well.” The exhaust on the Black Badge is also louder than the standard Cullinan, so it feels more sporty. “It’s quite interesting, a Rolls Royce making that sound. It’s unexpected, but it’s nice.” The Black Badge is still far less sporty than the Aston Martin DBX, which is one of its biggest competitors. “The brakes are strong… they do a good job of hauling this behemoth to a halt.” Of course the way this ultra-high-end SUV drives will probably be of more interest to the chauffeurs that will doubtless be driving most of these beasts. The actual owners of most of these incredibly posh XUVs will probably spend most of their time in the back seats being driven around.