The phrase “the Rolls-Royce of…” has become a cultural shorthand for the finer things in life.
From watches to honey, food processors to lawnmowers, it denotes an item is the pinnacle of its segment, unsurpassed for quality or status.
So when the luxury brand in question launches a new product, you expect nothing less than the absolute best – in this case, you expect the Rolls-Royce of SUVs.
Which is exactly what the Cullinan is.
Even the world’s most famous luxury brand isn’t immune to market demand and has been forced to bow to the 21st century’s obsession with SUVs. But rather than rehashing an existing platform from its parent company BMW (like Bentley did with the Bentayga), Rolls-Royce set out to build the ultimate luxury SUV from the ground up.
Based on Rolls’s scalable aluminium architecture which underpins the Ghost and Phantom, the Cullinan is a step above any other high-end off-roader, backing up its massive road presence with the unrivalled refinement and opulent interior that are hallmarks of the marque.
The whole cabin is an exercise in pampering, from the sumptuous leather upholstery and lambswool carpets to the dazzling starlight headliner and the perfectly damped chrome-finished controls.
Seat-back tables fold out at the touch of a button to reveal twin entertainment screens. Between the rear individual seats, the centre console conceals a champagne fridge with crystal flutes and a whisky decanter with matching tumblers.
For those who want to take full advantage of the Cullinan’s ‘Effortless Everywhere’ attitude, our test car featured the Viewing Suite. These two fold-up seats slide out from the boot at the touch of a button and allow you to take in the vistas wherever your adventures take you – whether that’s the polo club or the Pyrenees. Alternatively, you could pack the slide-out ‘recreation module’ with a fine-dining picnic set, sports gear or even a drone docking station.
The Cullinan was launched in 2018 with a declaration that “luxury is no longer an urban concept” but in late 2019, the Cullinan Black Badge turned that around with an ambition to be the “most urban” Black Badge yet.
If the standard Cullinan projects an air of board rooms, golf clubs and stately homes, the Black Badge is designed to offer an alternative, edgier face. Rolls’ customer base is skewing younger than ever – the average owner is now 42 – and the Black Badge is intended to serve and expand that audience.
To that end, it offers a more modern aesthetic and dynamic upgrades that set it apart from the regular Cullinans.
For a start, there are no shiny grilles or open-pore wood veneers. Here, it’s all about sleek black detailing and modern high-tech materials such as the technical carbon that coats the interior. Each panel is made from six layers of carbon fibre woven and polished in a process that takes a staggering 21 days to complete.
The gleaming chrome Parthenon grille of the standard Cullinan takes on a more menacing but no less imposing appearance, finished in gloss black, with just a hint of reflection in its upright bars. The famous Spirit of Ecstasy is likewise finished in black, as are key detail points around the exterior. One of the few splashes of colour is the bright red brake calipers, nestled behind unique 22-inch forged alloy wheels.
In keeping with its name, you can order the Black Badge in its signature black finish, with multiple layers of paint and lacquer applied and hand-polished 10 times to offer unrivalled depth and intensity. If that isn’t for you, then Rolls-Royce has 44,000 other “ready to wear” finishes or you can ask it to match any colour that you like.
Dozens of “standard” interior colours and finishes are on offer but, as hinted at by the infinity symbol dotted around the car, the scope for personalisation and bespoke finishes is almost endless.
The Black Badge isn’t just about a more youthful appearance though, it also brings extra performance to the Cullinan.
The 6.75-litre V12 has been tuned to offer a modest 31hp and 50nm increase over the regular car, taking its output to 600hp and 900Nm. The all-wheel-drive transmission and air suspension have also been attended to in order to give the Cullinan Black Badge an edge.
Bearing in mind that this is a 2.7-tonne, 5.3-metre long SUV, it’s quite astonishing what the engineers at Goodwood have achieved.
Pressing the subtle button marked “low” on the column-mounted gear selector unlocks the Black Badge’s full potential. Nought to 60mph vanishes in 4.9 seconds with a meaningful but refined bellow from the twin-turbo engine. Straights are swallowed up in the blink of an eye but the Cullinan never feels brutish. In corners, the active suspension and four-wheel-steering keep things remarkably tidy. It won’t match a Porsche Cayenne Turbo or a Lamborghini Urus across country, true, but it’s surprisingly agile for something its size. And neither of those will offer the kind of comfort and refinement that comes so easily to the Cullinan.
Whether you’re sinking into the armchair-like driver’s seat to enjoy an imperious view of the world, or revelling in the endless adjustment of the heated, ventilated and massage-equipped rear seats, the Cullinan soothes as only a Rolls-Royce
can.
Press the button to automatically close the doors behind you and the hustle and bustle of the outside world vanishes. The Cullinan even features a glass bulkhead between the passenger compartment and boot to keep noise intrusion to a minimum.
That sense of isolation continues on the move thanks to the near-silent working of the engine and the Flagbearer suspension, which uses cameras to monitor the road ahead and prime the suspension so the ride is never anything less than silky smooth.
Rolls-Royce says that the Cullinan will continue to offer that feeling of invulnerability as you head away from Tarmac and out into the wilds, with the suspension and drivetrain engineered to offer genuine off-road ability.
It’s likely most owners will never test such claims – something the Cullinan has in common with most SUVs – but with its blend of off-road credentials, unsurpassed refinement and endless luxury the Cullinan certainly is the Rolls-Royce of SUVs.
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