Rolls-Royce Cullinan: How Does It Compare To The Bentley Bentayga?

Back off, Bentley. The Bentayga is no longer the lone, luxurious SUV available to the uber rich. Rolls-Royce has entered the competition with its new Cullinan — and it’s hella glamourous. While the two vehicles may seem like near identical competitors at first glance, they actually have a lot of differences that should help sway buyers towards one SUV over the other.

In terms of performance, the Bentayga is the more powerful of the two. It wields a biturbo 6.0-liter W12, producing 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) and 640 pound-feet (867 Newton-meters) of torque. The Cullinan, meanwhile, uses a larger 12-cylinder engine – in this case a 6.75-liter unit – to produce 563 hp (420 kW) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque. Both the Bentayga and the Cullinan send power to all four wheels.

On paper at least, the Cullinan appears to be a bit less potent than the Bentayga. The Bentley is up 37 horsepower and 13 pound-feet of torque over the Rolls, and 32 miles per hour (though the Cullinan is limited). Where the Rolls-Royce does excel is in the efficiency department; the Cullinan returns up to 18.8 miles per gallon combined, whereas the Bentayga is only able to return 15 miles per gallon combined.

But those numbers don't tell the whole story; Rolls-Royce calls its new Cullinan, "the first 'three-box' offer in the SUV-sector." That essentially means it's extra luxurious. The "three-box" layout adds a partition wall that creates a distinct, comfortable cabin, separate from the luggage compartment. Its 210-inch (5,341 millimeter) length and 130-inch (3,302 millimeters) wheelbase makes its more spacious than the Bentley, too, returning a whopping 21 cubic-feet (600 liters) of luggage room compared to the Bentayga's 17.1 cubic-feet (484 liters) in its most expansive trim. One thing the Cullinan is missing, though, is an extra backseat; the luxury SUV only seats up to five, whereas the Bentayga can be optioned with a third row.

The Cullinan stretches out longer than the Bentley, both its wheelbase and its overall length. Though Rolls-Royce hasn't released figures for total interior volume – apart from the trunk, which is almost four cubic feet superior – we can guess that the Cullinan will likely be more spacious than the Bentayga. Unfortunately, buyers looking for a seven-passenger Cullinan will be disappointed. 

And then there's the most important factor of all: price. Not only is the Bentley more powerful and capable of carrying seven, it's also much cheaper – relative to the segment, at least. The Cullinan will start at $325,000 in the U.S., while buyers can pick up the Bentayga for just $195,000 in its most basic trim. Question is, is the Rolls nameplate alone worth an extra $200K? That's for buyers to decide.