A 4x4 with dainty silver wings

But trends change. Ever since the Rolls-Royce Cullinan was launched way back in 2018, you can discover impossible levels of automotive refinement complete with exceptional attention to detail - whilst crossing a muddy field.

Once upon a time, the very notion of a Rolls-Royce “4x4” just didn't stack up amidst growling ranks of die-hards, purists and environmentalists. To a world that's becoming increasingly obsessed with environmental matters, I will hereby confess to having owned several SUVs over the years. Of course, they weren't actually referred to as SUVs back in the day. They were simply “4x4’s” and none were all that frugal.

Running costs

Talking about running costs might come across as being a tad on the crass side to dear old Eleanor, the Spirit (and indeed the absolute epitome) of automotive ecstasy. But running costs do matter when you live on planet Earth. However, people bit the bullet and purchased their luxury Range Rovers on the basis of their numerous practicalities, leaving Elenor and her curiously poky saloons somewhat in the shade. Owning a luxury SUV is just so much easier than running a hulking great limo. The spacious loadbays and the intrepid go-anywhere spirit of a Range Rover, combined with exquisite leather-clad interiors and polished veneers is far more in-keeping with the lifestyle of the common or garden country squire these days. You can put the dogs into a Range Rover without upsetting the chauffeur.

As a rule of thumb, few other car types symbolise a desire to follow fads and fashions more than a modern SUV. An SUV is a vehicle designed to do things that 99% of their owners will never actually do. And herein lies the beauty. These things have potential. They tick all the boxes. You can pull up outside the gym or arrive at the Savoy in a Range Rover and it will always sublimely look the part.

However, for most people, owning a Land Rover is a bit like owning a pair of green wellies despite the fact that they seldom venture beyond the metalled surfaces of concrete jungles. So, was the idea of producing a 4x4 Rolls-Royce a stroke of genius or might the Cullinan simply represent a £300,000+ waste of space?

As SUV popularity continued to grow, other somewhat unlikely players joined the frenzy to get their iterations onto the market. A few years ago, the chaps at the Land Rover plant in Solihull would have laughed their little cotton socks off if anyone ever suggested that Ferrari would produce an actual 4x4. But, they’ve done it. And it's called the Ferrari Purosangue.

Sumptuous

I must confess that the idea of a Rolls-Royce SUV sits a whole lot more comfortably with me than the concept of a mud-plugging Ferrari. As we know, Land Rover have endeavoured to make their top end Range Rovers more and more luxurious (and Rolls-Royce-like) with every new model they produce. Each iteration has proved to be more sumptuous than the one that went before. With this in mind, it now seems as though it had almost been inevitable that the two intensely British “RR” concepts would one day meet somewhere in the middle. And back in 2018 - they did just that.

What’s interesting about both the Purosangue and the Cullinan is what they share in common (other than their hefty price tags). You see, neither camp shied away from the notion of doing things very differently from the rest of the SUV pack.

The Cullinan is firstly and foremostly a Rolls-Royce and a 4x4 second. Cosetting the passengers matters a lot more in the world of Rollsing & Roycing than crass considerations such as loadbay capacity or versatility. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, the rear seats of a Cullinan don't fold down to enhance loadbay capacity. However, because a Rolls-Royce is by its very nature a bespoke creation, you can specify folding seats if you so-desire. But wouldn't that just seem a bit weird? If you really want to take a load of smelly old rubbish down to the tip, wouldn't it be better to hire a man with a van?

Beneath the gleaming paintwork of the Cullinan, Rolls-Royce engineers have hidden away the Phantom’s cutting edge underpinnings, having reworked them to create a shorter but altogether loftier stablemate for “the best SUV in the world.” The Phantom/Cullinan’s modular aluminium space frame (known in-house as the Architecture of Luxury) is now some 30% stiffer than previous versions. This, amidst a host of other advancements, help make the Cullinan an SUV that truly deserves to wear that much-coveted RR badge.

To the Phantom’s supernatural and fabled waftability, the Cullinan adds an uncanny ability to manifest itself as an apparition that's as happy to fleetingly haunt London’s Mayfair as it would be to “show itself” serenely floating up a mountain track. You may need to pinch yourself because you really oughtn't be seeing such a thing. Yet, there it is!

From the day the Cullinan first appeared some six years ago, it’s fair to say that the design has attracted a variety of reactions. Its design is commonly compared to that of a London Taxi. Should you happen across an example that's finished in black, it's difficult to unsee this cruel comparison.

However, just like the Phantom and The Ghost, the Cullinan boasts dramatic looking laser headlamps and the bonnetline rises higher than the front wings. These days, the famous RR grille is fashioned from polished stainless steel which sits proud of the bodywork. The cherry on the top is, quite naturally, is the Spirit of Ecstasy.

Sublime

There has always been much more to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars than meets the eye. The Cullinan happily retains that trait. The way a Rolls-Royce looks has always been a bit of a talking point but most owners look beyond mere aesthetics.

The Cullinan is an SUV like none other. Whether compared to a top end Range Rover or a Bentayga, the Cullinan is quite simply sublime. It's quieter, it's smoother and ultimately far more stately than anything else that's currently out there. It's something that only the Rolls-Royce stable could have possibly sired.

These cars aren't anything like a Tesla or a Mercedes S-Class. This isn't the kind of car that features endless banks of complicated OLED screens. No tacky ambient lighting here. With a Cullinan, there’s absolutely nothing that's in any way “virtual”. It's all about wholesome, tangible qualities. It's all about the finest of materials meticulously selected and crafted to delight every single one of your senses. It adds up towards creating an absolutely unique automotive experience that can only be found at the Rolls-Royce stable.

The cabin does all it possibly can to shield its privileged occupants from any potential unpleasantness that might exist on the outside. Just like every other Rolls-Royce that has ever been produced, the Cullinan provides an all-encompassing motoring experience. This is not merely a means of getting from A to B. It's way more than that. To truly understand it, it’s something that has to be experienced - first hand.

Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring. 

Douglas Hughes