Facelifted Rolls-Royce Cullinan Unveiled, India Launch Likely By End Of 2024

The Rolls-Royce SUV has received its first major update since its global introduction in 2018, making it a more stylish and luxurious offering than ever before

• Rolls-Royce introduced the Cullinan SUV in 2018.

• The newly revealed facelifted SUV is better known as the ‘Cullinan Series II.’

• Exterior revisions include sharper LED DRLs, optional 23-inch alloy wheels, and an updated exhaust outlet.

• Cabin now gets nature-sourced materials; dashboard layout largely unchanged.

• Still powered by the same 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine as the outgoing model.

• Expected to be offered in India by the end of 2024.

Luxury SUVs got a new benchmark in opulence with the arrival of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in 2018. Now, it has received its first major refresh, officially called the Cullinan Series II. It has now become more stylish inside and out, while retaining its wide possibilities of customer-specific customisations. Here’s a quick rundown of everything that’s new on the Rolls-Royce SUV:

Small But Effective Design Updates

The 2024 Cullinan features subtle changes over the pre-facelift model. The SUV now gets sleeker LED headlight clusters, sharper and inverted L-shaped LED DRLs, and larger air intakes in the updated front bumper.

It is the first time that the Cullinan is featuring illumination for the grille, which has been given some tweaks, now making it similar to that on the Phantom Series II. Another cool design touch is that the bumper lines from the lowest point of the LED DRLs to the SUV’s centre point below the grille form a shallow ‘V’, which as per Rolls-Royce, resembles the sharp bow lines of modern sports yachts.

No major changes are noticeable from the sides of the Cullinan, save for the provision of a new set of alloy wheels, while also having the option to equip it with 23-inch units made from aluminium. Changes at the back are even more subtle, with the most significant updates being the tweaked exhaust outlet and a revised skid plate featuring a brushed silver finish.

Rolls-Royce has also come up with a new Emperador Truffle paint option for the facelifted Cullinan – a solid grey-brown shade. And if the Cullinan Series II is too basic for you, the luxury marque is also offering the facelifted SUV in the Black Badge version, which gets blacked-out elements to make it stand out.

• SUVs Priced Over Rs 1 Crore
• Rolls-Royce Cars In India

A Refreshed Cabin

If you thought the changes on the inside of the Rolls-Royce SUV will be more significant than those on the outside, think again. Rolls-Royce does not have a long list of cars in the portfolio, and at those prices, a lot of it is near-perfect the first time around (functionally at least). Thus, not much has changed in the cabin of the facelifted Cullinan, but it now features a full glass panel across the top portion of the dashboard. Here, you continue to get the touchscreen infotainment unit with Rolls-Royce’s Spirit interface, and a digital driver’s display, while on the passenger side it has graphics representing the skyscrapers of the world’s megacities at night. The illumination of the graphics is achieved via the 7,000 laser-etched dots strategically located behind the glass panel.

One of the talking points of the new Cullinan is its new display unit in the dashboard that flaunts an analogue clock and a carefully crafted miniature version of the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ logo placed below it.

Owners of the new Cullinan can tailor the colour of the instrument dials to complement the SUV’s interior palette or exterior finish. Rolls-Royce has also tactfully incorporated the type of materials used to make the cabin more environmentally-friendly. There’s fabric made out of bamboo, panels made from open-pore wood, and hand stained veneer ‘leaves’. The new upholstery is called ‘Duality Twill’, which takes 20 hours to be made, comprises 22 lakh stitches, and nearly 20 km of thread, and is produced using special lasers for uniformity and precision.

Also Read: 2024 Porsche Panamera Showcased In India For The First Time

Equipment On Board

Of course, the luxurious interior is complemented by the fact that the SUV is loaded with plenty of tech on board. Apart from the dual digital screens and multi-zone climate control with fancy knurled switchgear, the Cullinan also gets rear entertainment displays, massage, cooling, and heating function for the seats, an 18-speaker audio system with a subwoofer, connected car tech, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Powertrain Details

Rolls-Royce is offering the Cullinan Series II with the same 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine as the pre-facelift SUV. That said, its output hasn’t been revealed yet but in the pre-facelift model, the same powertrain put out 571 PS and 850 Nm. It gets all-wheel-drive (AWD) and an 8-speed automatic transmission. However, the sportier Black Badge version of the Cullinan Series II reveals its peak performance figures to be 600 PS and 900 Nm.

Interestingly, Rolls-Royce has shared that only 10 percent of Cullinan owners are primarily chauffeur-driven. So, the driving dynamics of the luxury SUV are not just for the rear passengers for the driver as well with its sophisticated adaptive suspension.

Expected India Launch And Competition

We expect the facelifted Rolls-Royce Cullinan to become available in India in the second half of 2024, at a significant price premium over the outgoing model. It’ll rival the Bentley Bentayega and Land Rover Range Rover SV.

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