Rolls-Royce debuts its first SUV

Rolls-Royce has officially entered off-road territory. Yesterday, the Goodwood-based, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG brand debuted the USD325,000 Cullinan, its first SUV.

Named after the largest diamond discovered to date, the vehicle is the latest in a long line of six-figure big rigs from the world’s most prestigious automakers. It is also one of the last major luxury automakers to add one: In April, Lamborghini unveiled its $200,000 Urus; Bentley showed its USD200,000 Bentayga V8 late in 2017.

“At this point in the history of automotive design, SUVs have become homogenous and ubiquitous,” Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce’s director of design, told reporters. “The label SUV is now applied to anything with a two-box silhouette and the least suggestion of going off tarmac. [So] we envisioned an authentic, three-box, all-terrain, high-bodied car with a convention-challenging design and absolute capability that would satisfy the adventurous urges of our clients.”

In a series of YouTube videos created with National Geographic, the BMW Group crown jewel has been “tested to destruction” all over the planet.

The Cullinan stands six feet off the ground—four inches taller than its closest competitor, the Bentayga. At 5,864 pounds, it’s more than 500 pounds heavier than the Bentayga, too. Angular sides and that high, flat top make it look more imposing than the rounded Bentayga or even Lamborghini’s crouching, super-sporty Urus. Bloomberg