Rolls-Royce unveils the Cullinan Series II

Rolls-Royce has unveiled an updated Cullinan, six years since the super luxury SUV first made its debut (read our review of the original Cullinan here).

The firm states that the Cullinan has contributed to the move of the average age of its clients from 56 in 2010 to just 43 today, and that when the SUV was first launched, less than 70% of its clients were self-driven. However, almost every Cullinan is now driven by its owner, with less than 10% of clients retaining the services of a chauffeur.

The Cullinan Series II gets a new daytime running lights as well as a new exhaust surround

On to the vehicle, then. The new Cullinan Series II now gets new daytime running lights, and the lower front bumper has been revised so it now forms a shallow 'V' - a move said to recall the sharp bow lines of modern sports yachts. The new bumper also now gets air intakes that angle outward aggressively, visually lower the Cullinan when viewed head on.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan also can now be had with an illuminated grille, which has further been refreshed with a lower leading edge. Further up, the grille also now sports a polished horizontal 'horizon line' that connects the daytime running lights, offers a visual link to the Phantom Series II.

The car also now gets a redesigned exhaust surround, which now comes in mirror-finish stainless steel, while a new brushed stainless-steel protective plate sits between these exhaust vents.

The Cullinan now gets a new glass panel fascia which houses a new Central Information Display that runs Rolls-Royce's SPIRIT operating system

The Cullinan also now comes out of the box with 23-inch wheels, which are each milled from a billet of aluminium and can be had with their seven-spokes either in a part of fully polished finish.

A new paint finish, Emperador Truffle, has also been developed to mark the launch of the new SUV. A minimalist solid-grey brown, the finish is said to deliver a subtle shimmer reminiscent of fresh snow under morning light when combined with the bespoke Crystal Over finish.

Over to the cabin, the Cullinan now gets a new glass panel fascia, which houses a new Central Information Display in its centre. This display runs the firm’s SPIRIT interface first introduced in the Spectre.

Customers will also now be able to specify their Cullinan with a new Placed Perforation feature, which makes use of up to 107,000 perforations to create patterns in the leather of the cabin

Ahead of the front passenger, meanwhile, is a new illuminated Fascia panel which makes use of 7,000 laser-etched dots on a darkened and toughened security glass to portray an illuminated Cullinan wordmark and a unique Cityscape graphic inspired by the skyscrapers of the world’s megacities at night. Customers can, of course, created their own motif for this fascia in collaboration with the marque's designers.

A new Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet also features on the passenger side of the fascia. This houses both an analogue timepiece and an up-lit Spirit of Ecstasy figurine.

Rolls-Royce is further introducing a new Grey Stained Ash material for the cabin of the Cullinan Series II. Described as a richly grained natural open-pore wood with a delicate shimmer, all of the logs of this species are individually selected, and the veneer 'leaves' are subsequently stained by hand and elevated with the addition of microscopic metallic particles before being utilised on the vehicle.

Also new for the Cullinan Series II is a bamboo-based rayon fabric, named Duality Twill. The new material takes inspiration from a bamboo grove which neighbours Sir Henry Royce's former winter home, Villa Mimosa in the Cote d'Azur.

Also new for the Cullinan is Placed Perforation: The practice of creating artworks through tiny perforations in the car's leather. Comprising of up to 107,000 0.8mm and 1.2mm perforations, this technique has been utilised to create a pattern inspired by the constantly changing shapes and shadows of the clouds over the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood.