Lagonda Vs Rolls-Royce Battle Continues, Now With Fewer Petty Insults

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Egg spoons fell to the tabletop and kippers went uneaten as noblemen across the land gazed in slack-jawed silence at the new Cullinan SUV high-bodied car unveiled by Rolls-Royce this morning.

It’s a vehicle so excessive in its dimensions and interior trappings, even long-deceased kings might find it gauche. Or, perhaps, just the right thing with which to ferry their corpulence from one sherry-stained dinner function to another. Polarizing, to say the least. One internet wag remarked that the Cullinan resembled a hearse with a backseat.

Regardless of how you feel about it, no one’s going to deny that Rolls-Royce now stands regally atop the luxury SUV hill, gazing down upon its lesser rivals with contempt. Clearly, the thought of the century-old British automaker pulling this off must have ground Lagonda’s gears, as the recently revived British luxury marque sought to get out in front of the introduction with an announcement of its own.

It seems the rivalry didn’t end after a testy spat earlier this year.

You’ll recall the war of words between RR and Aston Martin’s Lagonda brand. The returning marque claimed RR was a dusty old fogey with no new ideas, while RR countered by saying Aston Martin had “no clue” what ultra-luxury buyers like, and no clue how to attract them.

It was posh and scrappy all at the same time.

The two marques offer vastly different interpretations of what a luxury vehicle can be. With an upcoming production vehicle inspired by its Blade Runner-esque Lagonda Vision Concept (revealed earlier this year in Geneva), Lagonda hopes to attract a new type of super-premium buyer. The type attracted to radical, cutting-edge design. The type that isn’t afraid of kicking tradition to the curb and embracing new technologies.

Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, is all about dignified wood trim and suicide doors and positively Edwardian plushness. Beneath the long hoods of its cars beat multi-cylindered hearts powered by “gasoline.”

So, it wasn’t a surprise to see Lagonda issue a press release on May 9th, a day before the Cullinan’s reveal, touting great things to come in the insanely premium utility vehicle field. A “radical, sector-defining zero-emission SUV” will debut in 2021, the automaker claimed, one “exclusively driven by zero emission powertrain technologies.”

The new vehicle “will uphold all the qualities of the reinvented super-luxury marque,” it continued, promising an updated take on the design language seen on the Vision Concept. The image released Thursday shows a vehicle with the same overall shape, but even less side glass than the concept. Essentially, it’s a concept based on a concept.

“In reviving one of the most iconic names in motoring we have created a unique opportunity,” said Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer in a statement. “One that allows us to cast aside an inherited 20th century approach and instead design cars around 21st century demands and desires. The Lagonda SUV is the first of its kind: a spacious, high-performance 4×4 that successfully reconciles a love of technology, luxury and style.”

Apparently, modern luxury buyers won’t feel the need to peer out the side of their cars. While the design will surely change come production, it’s incredibly amusing to see these two old Brits going at it. To the best of our knowledge, RR hasn’t responded to Lagonda’s attempt at one-upping its debut. Really, it doesn’t need to. The Cullinan itself is all the ammo RR needs to fight its resurrected rival.

[Image: Aston Martin]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Hydromatic Hydromatic on May 11, 2018

    I have to wonder if Aston Martin will ever launch a "Lagonda" sub-brand with SUVs and fastbacked sedans galore.

  • Tstag Tstag on May 12, 2018

    Why not show the recent Lagonda SUV concept car rather than this pic? It looks futuristic in a good way and is highly original. Personally I think the Cullen is horrid the Lagonda will whip its ass, I say that as a Rolls-Royce Royce fan!

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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