2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge review: Stealth standout

Even with what you may assume from its name, you can find a lot more to this Rolls-Royce Cullinan than some black paint and dark-chrome complete. Positive, the Black Badge cure mainly caters to folks who want all the lavishness of a 6-determine SUV with a somewhat a lot more underneath-the-radar strategy. But I am going to really argue that the most effective point about this SUV is just not what you can see, it’s what you are unable to.

For starters, the 6.seventy five-liter V12 motor will get a small but obvious increase in ability, thanks to an European reflash. The common Cullinan puts out a not-insubstantial 563 horsepower and 627 pound-ft of torque, but the Black Badge ups that to 592 hp and 664 lb-ft. There’s a activity drive placing, far too — activated by pressing the “Small” button on the equipment stalk — that enhances throttle response and unlocks a a lot more intense change logic for the eight-pace automatic transmission.

It truly functions, far too the Black Badge Cullinan has some newfound pep in its step. You can sense the extra ability underneath acceleration, and I like how the transmission is a lot more than willing to right away drop a equipment or two when I lay into the throttle. The Black Badge will get a new exhaust program, with a type of aural playfulness you would not expect from a manufacturer that is usually so buttoned up. It will capture you off guard at first, but I guarantee, these pops and burbles are coming from the Cullinan, not some other car.

With great ability comes great obligation, and Rolls-Royce matches the Black Badge Cullinan with a larger established of brake discs to provide all the things to a end in a hurry. Lessened pedal travel and an improved chunk point make halting this 6,000-pound behemoth a lot less of an occasion, far too. I am not certain how I sense about the pink-painted calipers below, which are evidently non-negotiable, but I have to believe Rolls-Royce is willing to bend the rules for prospective buyers who throw ample income at the issue.

The Cullinan’s air suspension will get a stiffer default placing for Black Badge duty, and whilst it does lower entire body motions a teensy bit whilst cornering, I am not likely to consider and persuade you that this SUV is out of the blue a canyon carver. The steering is light and effortless, and you can sense each one of the aforementioned 6,000 lbs when you chuck this massive boy into a corner.

Fortunately, none of this extra verve comes at the price of over-all journey high-quality. Black Badge or not, this is continue to a Rolls-freaking-Royce, and regardless of whether you’re blasting down the highway or just toddling along in traffic as a result of Beverly Hills, it’s as smooth and comfy and quiet and wonderful as any car proudly carrying a Spirit of Ecstasy on its prow. Driver-assistance features like adaptive cruise control and lane-holding help make an by now serene expertise even a lot less stress filled. Blissfully isolated from the globe outside, the Cullinan actually will make you and your travellers sense like the wealthy aristocrats you are.

What else does the Black Badge spec get you? The Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, grille and some trim pieces are finished in high-gloss black chrome, and these massive, pink brake calipers are established at the rear of a exceptional established of 22-inch wheels. Relocating inside of, Rolls-Royce’s “specialized fiber” trim comes common — assume of it as 3D-search carbon fiber — and you can order the SUV with a new Forge Yellow interior possibility, which this examination car has. The loaded, yellow hue on the leather-based seats and wool floor mats surely is just not for everyone, but I sort of dig it. Just be certain to retain these mats clear.

The Black Badge also signifies the first time Rolls-Royce is providing its starlight headliner in the Cullinan. Also readily available on the Ghost, Phantom and Wraith, this tremendous-great characteristic makes use of 1,344 fiber-optic lights embedded in the headliner to provide the night time sky inside of the car. There’s a dimmer switch so you can increase or lower the depth, and a “taking pictures star” result functions as you’d envision, sending minimal zips of light from aspect to aspect. If that is not ample, Rolls-Royce will even custom-tailor the headliner so its design and style signifies any portion of the night time sky as it would’ve appeared on a particular date or from a particular location. Of course, truly. (For upcoming push car purchasing, Rolls-Royce, I might like the sky as noticed from Detroit, Michigan on Feb. 26, 1986.)

Anything else that is distinctive about the Cullinan is just not exceptional to the Black Badge. The interior is beautiful to behold and all the resources sense excellent. The switches and buttons have great tactility, and you can find a gratifying pounds to the action of the metal air vent plungers. The heated, massaging seats coddle you like very little else out there. From the automatic doorway-shut buttons to the heated, massaging seats to the chilled, crystal champagne flutes in the compartment concerning the rear thrones, the Cullinan is 100% Rolls-Royce opulence.

Quick as it is to get wrapped up in all that luxurious, there are a few of sore places I need to handle. The cargo space is lesser than you’d assume, and the nifty slide-out tailgate seats on this tester (which are quite great, I guarantee you) choose up really a bit of area. The Cullinan’s multimedia program offers its own established of problems, far too. It is primarily a reskinned edition of BMW’s older iDrive 6 tech, which is somewhat clunky to use, and lacks assist for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. For a firm so targeted on easygoing motoring, this extra bit of in-car pressure is a downer.

Heading the Black Badge route will established you back again an more $57,000 in excess of the common Cullinan’s $325,000 asking cost, and by the time you get it optioned just the way you like it, get ready to invest at least $425,000 or so, all-in. That is a good deal of income for plebs like you and I, but don’t forget, no one is stretching their spending budget to place a Cullinan in their driveway. For these folks, paying an more $57K on the Black Badge is a no-brainer. And great for them, because it’s a worthwhile improve that will make an by now decadent SUV even greater.