2025 Rolls Royce Cullinan review: The Godfather of SUVs

The V12 is dying: we’ve heard this year upon year for the last decade or so. And along comes a new high-strung V12 sports car from some exotic brand, and we rejoice, showering said brand with accolades and gratitude for being so brave in this ever-changing world. Yet, Rolls-Royce has exclusively been using this engine configuration for decades. In fact, three of the four models it currently sells are powered by a V12 – a mammoth twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre unit, no less – and in many ways, its most extravagant application is the Cullinan Black Badge.

Yes, every Rolls-Royce is excessive, even a bit ostentatious, but the Cullinan somehow takes it a step further. It’s an SUV, for one, which in itself makes it the more conspicuous choice, and then there’s the Black Badge treatment. We’ll get to the engine’s extra exuberance later on, and the price that’ll set you back an additional Rs 1.6 crore, but the Black Badge also adds a certain menace to the SUV’s look that suits it oh so well.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Series II exterior design

Dark chrome trim and optional 23-inch wheels

Rolls’ hallmark surfeit of chrome is replaced with dark chrome, and that includes the window surrounds, door handles, number plate garnish, exhaust surrounds, and most notably the pantheon grille and Spirit of Ecstasy emblem. The headlamp and tail-lamp internals are darkened as well and, yes, the badges themselves are black. You can now option 23-inch wheels on the Cullinan, a size that certainly doesn’t look out of place on this ‘high-sided vehicle’, as Rolls calls it, but here too, the Black Badge offers a more aggressive, two-tone design that bares the brake calipers for all to see.

Colour customisation is near endless

The facelift, to these eyes at least, injects some much-needed character into the imposing but uninteresting face of the original Cullinan, in the form of slimmer headlamps with vertical LED running lights that drop down into the bumper, which itself has fewer openings for a much cleaner look. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that, for a sum, Rolls-Royce will let you pick virtually any colour on the visible spectrum to paint your Cullinan with, with the possibility of further enhancement by way of crystal finish and hand-painted coach lines. But it encourages you to go bold, with bright colours that offset all that black well.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Series II interior and features

It’s a similar story inside, where you could choose an uninspired all-black cabin, but you’re nudged towards yellows, blues and purples, which are in sharp contrast to the piano black or dark metallic dashboard trim – your only options in a Black Badge.

Quality? Near faultless, of course; from the uniformity of the stitches to the flawlessness of the hide, to the micron-perfect fit of the trim pieces; the craftspeople really earn their commission. Mirroring its exterior, the Cullinan has a taller, bolder dashboard fascia than the rest of the model range, but the layout is familiar, and the Series II facelift has brought with it a wider array of personalisation options.

One option you won’t see in these pictures, but which we wholly recommend, is the ‘Sanctuary’ rear seat. This gets you two individual chairs – powered, heated, ventilated and massaging – as well as a drinks fridge and a glass separator for the luggage compartment. Either way, though, space is more than you’ve ever seen in an SUV, thanks to a limo-like 3.3-metre wheelbase, with a tall, stately seating position from which to survey your empire.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Series II engine and performance

600hp and 900Nm

Now, back to the V12, which sits resolutely under that long bonnet, heralded by the lady atop the grille. The car may have been updated, but the engine remains largely the same, and while it ordinarily – if you can use such a word in a Rolls – deploys 571hp and 850Nm, in the Black Badge, that’s upped to 600hp and 900Nm.

‘Low’ mode sharpens throttle response

These swollen outputs aren’t easy to perceive in everyday driving, but press the ‘Low’ button on the gear stalk, and you’ll notice a greater eagerness from the powertrain. A subdued burble pushes through several hundred kilograms of sound insulation into the cabin; enough to signal potency without being uncouth.

Surprisingly easy to drive

Once you’re done flexing, however, un-pressing the Low button reverts the Cullinan to the Rolls-Royce default spec, and really, this is what you’re actually paying for. The burble is now a whisper, the steering lightens up, the suspension relaxes, and the demeanour simmers from Hulk to Bruce Banner. It’s at this point you notice it’s not as intimidating to drive as a 5.3-metre SUV might seem, thanks to high seating, great visibility, rear-axle steering and easy-to-spot square edges.

Composed around corners even at high speeds

Every Rolls is unapologetically heavy, and the suspension is engineered requisitely robust to compensate. The 2.9-tonne Cullinan, however, has the added complication of a high centre of gravity, which it manages with aplomb. No, it isn’t a Porsche Cayenne around a bend, but its ability to deliver composure and comfort, whether at single or three-digit speeds, on any surface imaginable, has to be felt to be believed.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge Series II price and verdict

The Black Badge commands a Rs 1.59 crore premium over the regular Cullinan.

Where every other Rolls-Royce is named after something ethereal – Ghost, Spectre, Phantom – the Cullinan is named after the world’s largest gem diamond. Big, bold, valuable and indestructible, it’s a name that fits. For an established, traditional brand to go down the SUV route to boost sales might irk the cynical amongst you. The simple fact is that it’s good business, and the Cullinan is by far the highest-selling model in the range. It’s even responsible for dropping the average Rolls owner’s age from 56 to 43, and the Black Badge version, with its almost rebellious attitude, has no doubt played a part.

Rs 11.92 crore before options

The Series II updates are subtle but effective, widening the personalisation possibilities and bringing a hike in price to an eye-watering Rs 10.33 crore for the standard version and Rs 11.92 crore for the Black Badge! The same cynics from earlier might scoff again, but the truth is, inside, outside and under the skin, it’s the same as a Phantom, albeit with a different form factor. An arguably more contemporary and desirable one, and certainly a more practical one. Titanic road presence, effortless performance and peerless luxury truly make this the monarch of SUVs.

Also see:

Rolls-Royce Spectre review: Silent grandeur

Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge with 659hp revealed