Compare the2025 Rolls-Royce CullinanVS 2025 Acura MDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Cullinan’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The MDX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Cullinan and MDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Cullinan has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The MDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Cullinan’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The MDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Cullinan has standard PostCrash, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The MDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cullinan. But it costs extra on the MDX.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Cullinan’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The MDX doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Cullinan helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The MDX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Cullinan and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan weighs 1251 to 2046 pounds more than the Acura MDX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Cullinan comes with a full 4-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The MDX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

Rolls-Royce pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cullinan for 3 years and unlimited miles longer than Acura pays for maintenance for the MDX (4/unlimited vs. 1/12000).

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Cullinan’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the MDX’s camshafts. If the MDX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

Engine

The Cullinan’s standard 6.8 turbo V12 produces 273 more horsepower (563 vs. 290) and 360 lbs.-ft. more torque (627 vs. 267) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6. The Cullinan’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 208 more horsepower (563 vs. 355) and 273 lbs.-ft. more torque (627 vs. 354) than the MDX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Cullinan Black Badge’s standard 6.8 turbo V12 produces 237 more horsepower (592 vs. 355) and 310 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 354) than the MDX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Rolls-Royce Cullinan (base engine) is faster than the Acura MDX:

	Cullinan	MDX V6	MDX Type S
Zero to 60 MPH	4.5 sec	6.4 sec	5.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.5 sec	17.6 sec	14.1 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.2 sec	6.6 sec	5.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.6 sec	3.6 sec	3.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	3.4 sec	5.2 sec	4.2 sec
Quarter Mile	12.9 sec	15.1 sec	14.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	111 MPH	93 MPH	100 MPH
Top Speed	151 MPH	112 MPH	111 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Cullinan has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the MDX (23.8 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Cullinan’s brake rotors are larger than those on the MDX:

	Cullinan	MDX	MDX Type S
Front Rotors	15.6 inches	13.8 inches	14.3 inches
Rear Rotors	15.7 inches	13 inches	13 inches

The Cullinan’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MDX are solid, not vented.

The Cullinan stops much shorter than the MDX:

	Cullinan	MDX
70 to 0 MPH	159 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	107 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction and acceleration, the Cullinan has larger standard rear tires than the MDX (285/40R22 vs. 255/55R19). The Cullinan’s optional rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the MDX (295/35R23 vs. 275/40R21).

The Cullinan’s standard 255/45R22 front and 285/40R22 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the MDX’s standard 55 series tires. The Cullinan’s optional 295/35R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the MDX Type S’ 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Cullinan has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the MDX. The Cullinan’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the MDX Type S.

Suspension and Handling

The Cullinan has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The MDX doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the Cullinan uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the MDX, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Cullinan offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Acura doesn’t offer an active suspension on the MDX.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cullinan’s wheelbase is 15.9 inches longer than on the MDX (129.7 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The Cullinan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49% to 51%) than the MDX’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Cullinan more stable handling and braking.

The Cullinan Black Badge executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MDX SH-AWD (26.6 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Cullinan is quieter than the MDX Type S:

	Cullinan	MDX
70 MPH Cruising	60 dB	68 dB

Passenger Space

The Cullinan has 3.4 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more rear headroom and 4.4 inches more rear legroom than the MDX.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Cullinan when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the tailgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The MDX doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Cargo Capacity

The Cullinan has a much larger cargo volume than the MDX with its rear seat up (19.8 vs. 18.1 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Cullinan’s rear seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Cullinan’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the tailgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The MDX’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Cullinan is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the MDX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Cullinan and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Cullinan is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Cullinan’s standard Comfort Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Access System standard on the MDX doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The Cullinan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The MDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Cullinan to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The MDX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Cullinan has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The MDX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Cullinan also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors costs extra on the MDX.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Cullinan’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The MDX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Cullinan has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the MDX Advance.

The Cullinan has standard massaging front seats. Massaging front seats are only available on the MDX Advance. The Cullinan also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the MDX.

The Cullinan’s optional Automatic Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The MDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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