The Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s 2018 debut marked a significant turning point for the British carmaker. For the first time in its 118-year history, nearly everyone who parted with the over $325,000 the Cullinan originally cost used it daily. Beyond covering more miles on average than any Rolls before it, most owners opted to drive, with fewer than 10 percent relying on a chauffeur. It didn’t just shift customer habits; the Cullinan morphed the customer base itself, successfully attracting new and, crucially, younger buyers to the brand. So much so that from 2010 to 2024, the average age of a Rolls-Royce owner dipped from 56 to 43.
Six years after its unveiling, the Cullinan is still by far the brand’s best-seller. While booming demand for taller, more practical vehicles is partly responsible for the Cullinan’s success, it’s also a result of how closely Rolls-Royce tracks customer feedback. It’s constantly in contact with buyers, noting what’s important to them and implementing focused updates whenever it refreshes or introduces any new model. Considering not just how this SUV has impacted the brand but also how the carmaker moves to keep its recent record sales streak going, it is crucial to understand the refreshed 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II and its Black Badge counterpart.
On the surface, it’s easier to discuss what isn’t new than what is. The twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12 that powers it is untouched, as is its eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive system. Besides a minor recalibration to account for larger 23-inch wheels, its industry-besting air suspension carries over, too. Instead, the Series II addresses the aforementioned customer feedback, implementing a modernized aesthetic, new interior materials, broader customization opportunities, and a thoroughly updated tech suite. It’s also pricier, starting around $450,000 or roughly $500,000 if you want the Black Badge.
The Series II’s visual updates are plentiful and focused, although it may not seem so initially. The central theme here is verticality, drawing inspiration from traditional yachts and skyscraper designs. It’s visible in the updated front’s extended daytime running lights, which slope downwards and flank a now frameless and illuminated Pantheon grille. Like the Spectre, a prominent horizontal line sits atop its angled slats, connecting this bright centerpiece with those aforementioned LEDs. Enlarged lower air intakes with angled veins sharpen the lower sections of its front fascia.
As a result, the Cullinan Series II has a considerably sportier aesthetic than its predecessor. While these angled veins and larger openings work in concert with the Black Badge’s darkened trim (now offered with black door handles for the first time) and carbon touches, they appear somewhat anachronistic in the standard model, which more closely aligns itself with a traditional Rolls-Royce vibe.
Beneath its tail lights, practically everything is new, including its bumper, larger exhaust tip surrounds, and extensive contrasting lower trim. However, you won’t find many sharp lines to complement those upfront, making its two ends appear somewhat disconnected. Completing the list of updates is a new 23-inch seven-spoke wheel design with a fully polished or two-tone finish.
The 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II benefits from the vastly updated tech suite we first saw in the Spectre. A digital instrument cluster and an updated central infotainment display sit behind a massive pillar-to-pillar glass panel for the first time. An updated analog clock and a Spirit of Ecstacy figure sit beside the new screens, as does an illuminated passenger panel comprising over 7,000 laser-cut dots.
Beyond the screens, all the wiring that powers them and their SPIRIT software is new, allowing for greater connectivity and broader customization options. Customers can now select unique color combinations for the cabin trimmings and digital elements.
The most significant update to the Series II’s cabin is the addition of a new Duality Twill fabric, replacing the leather-only the marque has relied on in recent decades. Made from bamboo fibers and incorporating an interlinked “RR” pattern, each cabin built with this new material will use more than 2.2 million stitches and 11 miles of thread, each taking around 20 hours to complete. While the carmaker plans to offer its base color in Lilac, Chocolate, or Black, buyers can pick from 51 available thread colors.
Should leather be more your speed, the 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II introduces a new Placed Perforation option. As its name suggests, it utilizes around 107,000 0.8 to 1.2 mm-sized holes to create unique patterns that buyers can customize through the brand’s Bespoke program. A single person inspects these tiny perforations to ensure they’re correctly done. The Black Badge takes things further by offering its unique Technical Carbon trim alongside an accompanying infinity logo, which can be embroidered into its headrests.
Setting off in the Series II through the perfectly paved winding mountain roads that make up the Island of Ibiza, piloting the refreshed Cullinan feels like a strikingly familiar affair. As noted earlier, most of its oily bits carry over from its predecessor. In standard form, its twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12 produces 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, while that output rises to 600 hp and 664 lb-ft for the Black Badge. This allows for a 4.9-second sprint to 60 mph and an electronically limited 155-mph top speed.
Starting with the “standard” Cullinan, it’s still striking years on how well its massive V12 feels virtually non-existent from behind the wheel. Even as you work deeper into the gas pedal, its cabin noise remains almost unchanged as it quickly but silently picks up speed. As with every car Rolls makes, its steering is effortlessly light and nicely isolated from unwanted vibrations. The same goes for its air suspension, which, despite the addition of larger 23-inch wheels and slimmer sidewalls, still manages to isolate even significant road imperfections perfectly.
Jumping in the Black Badge model immediately after is perhaps the only way you’ll be able to tell them apart. The extra 57 horses it develops are barely felt in the real world unless you select its “Low” mode, which sharpens its throttle response, finally bringing them into play. Despite the BB’s sportier aesthetic and sharpened powertrain tuning, its air suspension is just as soft as the standard car’s, meaning you’ll pay no comfort penalties for the added performance. Only its slightly more aggressive exhaust mapping will stand out to the outside world, as inside the car, the difference is barely noticeable given its extensive sound deadening.
Although pricing for the U.S. has yet to be announced, we know the 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II will go into production sometime in August. The standard model will cost around $450,000, and the Black Badge will cost around $500,000. With deliveries expected to begin toward the end of the year, the carmaker’s order books are currently open.
With the Cullinan Series II, it’s clear that Rolls-Royce is not only looking to work based on the feedback of its current customer base but also continues widening this SUV’s appeal. By modernizing its exterior, introducing new materials, and vastly updating its tech suite, it isn’t just interested in retaining its spot at the top of the SUV food chain and incorporating many of the systems and features its younger customer base expects.
While aesthetically, not all of the Series II’s exterior updates are equally successful, the same can’t be said of its interior. From the addition of the new duality twill fabric and the placed perforations, the marque is focusing on offering more of the customization flexibility its customers yearn for without messing with the powertrain components they’re already satisfied with. While options will likely push its out-the-door price well past the $500,000 mark, six years on, there’s nothing to drive or ride in quite like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
