PETALING JAYA: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur has formally introduced the Cullinan sports utility vehicle (SUV) to complete the family of Black Badge offerings.
The Black Badge range of Rolls-Royce vehicles effectively emphasises ultra-exclusivity to the brand that already stands for ultra-luxury.
The five-seater Cullinan joins its Black Badge stablemates that include the Ghost, Wraith and Dawn with prices (not inclusive of duties) starting from RM1.4mil, RM1.7mil and RM1.8mil respectively.
Likewise, the Cullinan's price starts from RM1.7mil and comes as standard in Gunmetal with its interior contrasted in a combination of Scivaro Grey and Selby Grey - the same colour that's used on the coach line that extends from the front to the rear of this SUV.
While there's always the signature Black that comes with the Black Badge, the company does have 44,000 other colour options or commission the company to create an entirely unique hue.
Regardless, no less than six layers of paint and lacquer get applied to the body before it is hand-polished 10 times to seal in the goodness.
The most unique part of the vehicle's interior is the weave pattern that's not commonly associated with carbon fibre and has been dubbed Black Badge Technical Fibre.
Other standard fitments also include the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament dressed in Dark Chrome, chromed exhaust finishers and 22-inch partially polished forged Black Badge wheels that partially hide the now-gloss red brake callipers.
Furthermore, the iconic Pantheon grille and "RR" logo have also been electroplated with the same high gloss black chrome.
Inside, there are front ventilated seats with contrast stitching and a bespoked interior that can be altered to the customer's preferences.
To present the possibilities, the interior of the Cullinan Black Badge was fitted with items that include an "RR" monogram for all its headrests, a massage function for the seats and Rolls-Royce's Bespoke Audio system.
The leather headliner was fitted with the company's unique Shooting Star headliner that makes use of fibre optics to create the effects of a "shooting star".
The interior is further equipped with a lambswool floormat, automatic door close mechanism with soft-seal, illuminated "Black Badge" scuff plates, polished stainless steel accents and a rear theatre configuration.
A unique option that was fitted was the driver assistance package that includes dynamic cruise control, a heads-up display, night vision with pedestrian recognition and par assistant.
But what's even more unique is that the company has beefed up performance to go along with its new-found looks.
The massive 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine now produces 592hp (+29hp) at 5,000rpm and 900Nm (+50Nm) of torque from 1,700rpm.
Power delivery is managed by an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends all that twist to the all-wheel-drive system with an all-wheel steer.
Announcing its impending arrival is the Cullinan's new sports exhaust system that gets activated by a "Low" button to bring about a little rumble to its exhaust note.
To help handle the performance, the suspension has been up-rated and fitted to the highly rigid spaceframe aluminium chassis.
All that means this Cullinan gets from 0 to 100kph in 5.0 (-0.1) seconds before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.
For those considering obtaining the Black Badge accoutrements for their non-Black Badge vehicles (Silver Badge), the answer is no. The standard fixtures and fittings for the Black Badge family are only available for itself.
Lastly, the Phantom is not included in this exclusive club within the brand due to its stature of being the "pinnacle of luxury".
