Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II Facelift Unveiled; Gets Illuminated Grille, Updated Interior

Six years on from the debut of the original, Rolls-Royce has unveiled the updated version of its Cullinan super-luxury SUV. Now named the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, the facelifted SUV features a handful of styling changes, along with a couple of vital interior additions to help keep it fresh. The update is a vital one for Rolls-Royce, as the Cullinan is currently its highest-selling model worldwide.

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Sportier Black Badge version can be had with 23-inch wheels for the first time.

Central to this refresh is a new face for the Cullinan, which features restyled headlights with LED daytime running lights extending downwards, an illuminated pantheon grille with a pronounced lip, and a new front bumper incorporating reshaped air intakes. The bumper lines form a shallow ‘V’ from the lowest point of the daytime running lights to the centre, which Rolls says is a nod to the ‘sharp bow lines of modern sports yachts’.

Exterior styling elements on the Cullinan Series II Black Badge are all finished in black.

Also new is a ‘feature line’ leading from the taillights to the centre of the floating ‘RR’ centre caps on the rear wheels, mirror-finish stainless steel exhaust exits and a brushed stainless-steel rear skid plate.

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Pillar-to-pillar seamless glass panel added to the Cullinan Series II's dashboard.

Inside, the Cullinan Series II retains most of the dashboard design and layout of the original. However, the Series II packs a pillar-to-pillar glass-panel fascia, with the front passenger faced with an illuminated dash panel which features a cityscape graphic, which Rolls says is inspired by the skyscrapers of the world’s megacities as seen at night. Also updated for the Series II is the dual-screen setup – one for the digital instruments display, and the central unit for the infotainment system – and the inclusion of Rolls’ Spirit operating system, which debuted on the all-electric Spectre. 

Spirit OS makes it possible to adjust the colour of the instruments to match that of the Cullinan's exterior or interior.

Spirit – which has been added to a V12 Rolls for the first time – will enable customers to adjust the colour of the instrument dials to complement their Cullinan’s exterior or interior colour schemes. Whispers, a dedicated app for Rolls customers, enables remote vehicle locking, and will allow customers to share destinations directly to the SUV, and also be able to view its location. Dedicated screens for rear seat passengers now incorporate an interface to manage content streaming, as well the massage, heating and cooling functions for their seats.

A smaller Spirit of Ecstasy figurine has been added to the interior.

With the Series II, Bluetooth headphones of any type can be paired with the rear seat screens, and Wi-Fi connectivity will allow for independent streaming for each screen. Also new on the Cullinan Series II is the Spirit of Ecstasy clock cabinet, which houses an analogue clock and an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy figurine built from stainless steel. 

The new ‘Duality Twill’ fabric interior takes 20 hours to complete.

Trim finish choices now include grey stained ash, a grained, natural open-pore wood, and upholstery choices include a new rayon fabric made from bamboo, named Duality Twill. A full-fledged Duality Twill interior adds up to 2.2 million stitches, 11 miles of thread and takes 20 hours to complete, as per Rolls-Royce.

The Cullinan Series II retains the original's 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V12, which produces close to 600 bhp in the Cullinan Series II Black Badge, along with 900 Nm of torque.

In a press note, Rolls-Royce revealed less than 10 per cent of Cullinan owners worldwide have appointed a chauffeur, as most of them choose to drive themselves. The SUV, according to the brand, has contributed to a fall in the average age of Rolls-Royce clients from 56 in 2010 to 43 at present.

Orders for the Cullinan Series II are now open, and we expect it to sport a premium over the outgoing Cullinan's Rs 6.95 crore (ex-showroom, before options) price tag.