In 2015, Rolls-Royce debuted the Cullinan, its first SUV. And over the next years, it quickly became the company’s best-selling nameplate. Now this very important model is now being prepped for a mid-cycle refresh and we have the first spy photos showing a lightly camouflaged prototype.
Captured close to BMW’s research and development center in Munich, this prototype has portions of its front fascia disguised hinting at revisions to the front bumper. The lower section of the panel has no camouflage, letting us take a clear look at the new shape and size of the air intakes at the sides. The center section with the large radar in the middle remains mostly unchanged, though there appears to be a different pattern for the grille.
Gallery: Rolls-Royce Cullinan facelift first spy photos
There’s nothing to cover the changes at the back and we can see a new design for the lower section of the rear bumper. The black plastic cladding now extends higher into the quarter panels and the exhausts have a different shape. We don’t think this is the final layout of the pipes inside those chrome finishers, though. In general, the luxury SUV’s side panels and greenhouse appear to be completely untouched.
The Cullinan is currently available worldwide with just a single engine – Rolls-Royce's twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12. In standard form, it sends 563 horsepower to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF. The unit gets an upgrade in the Black Badge models where the output is 591 hp. We don’t expect any changes under the hood, though we won’t be very surprised if the firm adds some sort of electrification to the V12.
