Rolls-Royce lives in its own world, operates to its own timeline, and does things its own way. Great empires could rise and fall, and Rolls-Royce would sail serenely on. And so to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, a midlife refresh for what the luxury brand amusingly refers to as “its most requested model” (read: bestseller). Note also that ‘midlife’ here is about the same as a mere motoring mortal’s entire lifespan. Can it really be six years since the SUV arrived?
Apparently, this is the most extensive Series II update the British carmaker has ever undertaken, prompted in response to changes in the world of luxury and the Cullinan’s use case. A quick fact here: The average age of a Rolls-Royce owner was 56 back in 2010; now, it’s 43. In China, it’s way less even than that—there’s an owner there who’s just 18. Meanwhile, most Cullinan owners drive their cars themselves, fewer than 10% of them retaining the services of a chauffeur. Almost none of them, we’d venture, ever go off-road.
The biggest changes concern the Cullinan’s exterior, with some new tricks employed to enhance its stance and soften its proportions. The new daytime running lights draw the eye out to make the car seem wider, and new air intakes reduce the SUV’s loftiness. Lines on the bumper create a ‘V’ that alludes to a super-yacht’s prow. The Pantheon grille is illuminated for the first time on the Cullinan, and the sills are fitted with gloss black elements.
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A line runs from the taillights forward through the center of the floating RR center caps. And the exhaust surround has a mirror-finish stainless steel, with a protective plate connecting them. Finally, the Cullinan now rides on 23-inch part- or fully-polished alloys, with a new seven-spoke design.
Accepted definitions of automotive beauty have never really applied to Rolls-Royces since time immemorial. These are vehicles that have more in common with the statement buildings they swish past in the cities they spend most of their time in—Seoul, Singapore, and Shanghai—than they do other cars. But the Cullinan is now a little easier on the eye.
Inside, well we’re talking more detail refinements than revolution. There’s a new full-length glass panel fascia, and the ‘Spirit’ operating system that first appeared in the Spectre is introduced here. The main instrument display is digital, but does a very good job indeed of looking analog. The front passenger gets to gaze upon an illuminated panel that features 7,000 laser-etched apertures, each at slightly different angles to improve depth perception.
Also new is the Spirit of Ecstasy clock cabinet, wherein a scale representation of the famous RR logo now lives in her own little specially lit stage space. For no apparent reason that we can make out. The dashboard lights up in a sequence that begins with the main instrument display, then flows across to the left. A lot of effort has been expended here, no question.
Rolls-Royce says its clients regard their cars as sanctuaries from the incursions of the everyday world, so while the Cullinan is fully-stocked when it comes to digitization and connectivity, it deliberately plays it down. Rear occupants can connect two streaming devices to the separate screens, with Bluetooth connectivity for headphones. Or you can luxuriate in the bespoke audio system, which has 18 channels and a 1,400w amplifier. As with other Rolls-Royce models, cavities in the aluminum spaceframe are used as resonance chambers. A natural subwoofer.
Also new is a gray-stained ash wood trim and the option of a textile fabric interior trim. Called duality twill, it’s made using bamboo fibers and features an abstract interpretation of the interlocking RR logo. This being a Rolls-Royce, the stats are bewildering: The textile interior uses up to 2.2 meters of stitches and 17km of thread, and has taken the team in Goodwood four years to develop. Similarly labor-intensive are the little holes you can see in the door trims: We’re talking 408,284 perforations of between 0.8mm and 1.2mm in diameter. They’re checked by a single, long-suffering craftsperson.
It’s this insane attention to detail that encourages the world’s high-net-worth individuals to sign up for a Rolls-Royce. The Cullinan Series II has an unchanged mechanical specification—6.75-liter twin-turbo V12, 563hp and 899Nm of torque, magic carpet ride—underpinning an experience that makes this more of a lavishly appointed building on wheels than a car. It also costs a bit more than before, but rarely has this particular detail been less relevant.
More photos of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
