India-bound Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV revealed, to take on Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover LWB

Rolls Royce is arguably the superlative of automotive luxury, building some of the best limousines known to man. But going with the trend that is cemented by its compatriots like the Bentley Bentayga and the Range Rover, Rolls Royce has finally revealed its first SUV in its glorious history that pans beyond 112 years. They are calling the Rolls Royce Cullinan, named after the largest natural diamond that the world has ever seen.

But the Rolls Royce Cullinan isn't just a high-riding limousine with a polished name and the enviable Spirit of Ecstasy perched on a boxy bodywork. It has a powerful design expressed through a classic three-box form. The tail protrudes out, while the long nose gives it a cab-rearward design typical to a Rolls Royce. The proportions beautifully mask the humongous dimensions of the Cullinan, which stands 200mm taller than the Phantom and rides on 22-inch wheels. At 5.3m in length, it is 200mm longer than the Bentayga and 350mm longer the long wheelbase Range Rover. The headlights and air dams are set further into the face compared to the saloons, while the polished grille isn't overly large, contrary to what the purists feared. The upright taillights, that were teased earlier this week, have a simple design too.

With a wheelbase of 3,295mm, the cabin is typical limousine class. The Cullinan welcomes you to a flat floor and uber-luxurious individual seats by lowering itself by 40mm and raising back up when the driver thumbs the starter. There is the typical Rolls Royce minimalism in the cabin's symmetrical design. The dashboard is done up in open-pore wood and new box-grain leather. Driver aids comprise 360 degree cameras, a 7x3 heads-up display, cross-traffic warning, lane departure and lane change warning, night vision and attention assist. There is wifi hotspot capability, amongst a host of other creature comforts meant to pamper the owners.

he Rolls Royce Cullinan is built around the new 'Architecture of luxury' all-aluminium spaceframe that debuted with the new Rolls Royce Phantom 8. The Cullinan weighs about 2,660kg which makes it 200kg heavier than the Bentayga but relatively light for its size. It is suspended by an all-independent suspension made up of air-struts in all four corners, mated to double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup at the rear. The suspension is set up for a magic-carpet-like ride than long travel. That said, the Cullinan proudly hints that it will do everything that a Range Rover can. It even gets an 'Everywhere' mode to that effect, which alters chassis and drivetrain components to take on the trickier outdoors without spilling your expensive champagne. Snow, rocks, sand or similar loose terrain will not worry the Cullinan, hints Rolls Royce. The Cullinan has a water wading capability of 540mm and for the first time on a Rolls Royce, a 4x4 drivetrain. There is no low-range gearbox because Rolls Royce believes that the Cullinan won't need one given the strong low-end torque and a finely tuned torque converter from ZF.

The 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol that debuted with the Phantom 8, motivates the Rolls Royce Cullinan too. Under the hood of the Cullinan, it puts out 571PS of power at 5,000rpm and 850Nm of torque at a mere 1,600rpm. 0-100kmph is estimated around the 5s mark (no official word), while the top speed is restricted to 250kmph. The heft of the Cullinan reflects in its efficiency, with the claimed carbon footprint being a large 341g/km and a claimed overall fuel economy of 6.6kmpl.

The Rolls Royce Cullinan starts at around £250,000 in the UK, which roughly translates to about Rs 2.3 crore without shipping and import duties. We expect the Rolls Royce Cullinan to open its order books in India before September, with prices starting at around Rs 6 crore.

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LIVE launch updates: Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV revealed

Image gallery: India-bound Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV