As Rolls Royce beings the final preparations for the unveiling of the brand’s first ever SUV, the British luxury maker has turned up the wick on teasers for the upcoming Cullinan. The most recent teaser touts “the best seat in the house” and it shows off some of the features that we can expect to see from the Cullinan when it eventually makes its world debut.
Before we begin, don’t call it an SUV in front of Rolls Royce representatives, who prefer you dub it “a slab sided high riding motor car.” While we ponder the logic behind this reasoning, the teaser does showcase a novel feature that should greatly appeal to the Cullinan’s bespoke clientele. Dubbed the “Viewing Suite,” it is essentially two rear facing seats mounted on the tailgate with a small cocktail table in between. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this feature, with a small handful of mainstream entries offering similar rear facing accommodations. However, as expected from Rolls Royce, the thrones are swathed in the finest of leather, and the table can be deployed with a push of a button.
Rolls Royce claims that the elaborate seating feature allows owners “to take in the world’s most breathtaking vistas” or more realistically, have bespoke tailgate parties at the country club or the local soccer pitch from their six figure SUV. The exterior styling here is largely obscured, but Rolls was unable to hide the fact that the rear of the SUV will have a somewhat rounded shape, with integrated rear exhaust outlets.
“From the day we conceived of Cullinan we were focused on offering a truly authentic and luxurious Rolls-Royce experience to our customers through fascinating surprise and delight features” stated Torsten Muller-Otvos Chief Executive Officer of Rolls Royce.
“The beauty of the Cullinan’s Viewing Suite, the manner in which it deploys so effortlessly, the attention to detail, the finest leathers that match the interior of the customer’s Cullinan, and how it comes together to bring beautiful furniture to the most remote places, all bear testimony to the unequaled Bespoke competence of the designers and craftspeople at the home of Rolls-Royce.”
The Cullinan shares its platform and underpinnings with the Phantom, which means the 6.75 liter V12 will be as big of a player in the festivities as it is in its sedan counterpart. The Cullinan will also feature all-wheel drive, but don’t expect it to climb every mountain and ford every stream like a Land Rover can. Look for this system to be more pavement oriented, with modes for snow and light off road terrain. It would go toe to toe with the Bentley Bentayga, but its lone engine choice could put the Rolls at a disadvantage against its fore-mentioned rival, which is expected to add a V8 and hybrid options to expand beyond its current W12 only layout.
It is currently unknown when the Cullinan will make its official debut, but we suspect it will take place later this year with pricing information being released later. Considering that the Phantom has a base price of $450,000, look for the Cullinan’s sticker to at least double that figure and then some. In the meantime, Rolls Royce has released a brief video of the feature in action which can be seen below.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.