Approaching its sixth birthday, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan has been given a bolder face and an even swankier interior.
Most of the visual changes with the so-called Series II update have been made up front, where there’s a new, slightly taller grille that’s available for the first time with illumination.
This is flanked by a new set of headlights, which are now framed by a L-shaped driving light arc. The lower air intakes ditch the rectangular shape in favour of something that’s a little more aggressive, and less classically Rolls-Royce.
The choice of a sportier look might have to do with the average age of Rolls-Royce buyers dropping from 56 in 2010 to 43 today.
Along the sides there are new rubbing strips and gloss black sills, as well as fresh alloy wheel designs, including a new 23-inch option.
At the rear, the changes are limited to the lower bumper where gloss black is the new black. The exhaust tips now have a mirror-finish stainless steel surround, while the bash plate has been given a brushed stainless steel look.
Step inside, and the interior will look instantly familiar. Although the dashboard architecture hasn’t changed, the upper section now has single pane of glass stretching the entire width of the vehicle.
Behind the glass is BMW’s latest infotainment system – rebranded as Spirit in Rolls-Royce vehicles – and a new customisable digital instrumentation display.
Those sitting in the rear seats can pair Bluetooth headphones to the sound system, or enjoy the 1400W 18-speaker sound system.
The section ahead of the front passenger is an “Illuminated Fascia” area that houses a 3D-effect laser-etched cityscape graphic and Cullinan wordmark. If the standard design isn’t to your liking, Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke division can whip up a personalised piece of art instead.
Wedged between the fascia and infotainment screen is an analog clock, underneath which is an illuminated stainless steel Spirit of Ecstasy figurine housed in glass.
The Cullinan’s interior has been spruced with a selection of new materials, such as new open-pore wood choices and a new bamboo-derived rayon twill seating fabric, dubbed Duality Twill, that can be embroidered with the brand’s interlocking R logo.
An interior fully bedecked in Duality Twill takes about 20 hours to finish, and will feature 2.2 million stitches and almost 18km of thread.
Alternatively buyers can specify the Placed Perforation trim that has up to 107,000 perforations placed 0.8 to 1.2 millimetres apart to recreate a scene of clouds over Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood headquarters.
Being a Rolls-Royce it’s likely most customers will dive deep into the car’s menu of options or engage the services of the company’s Bespoke customisation division.
The Cullinan is still powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine.
The company hasn’t released any specs regarding the drivetrain, but it’s probably safe to assume it still produces 420kW/850Nm in standard trim, and 441kW/900Nm in Black Badge models.
