Compare the2026 Rolls-Royce CullinanVS 2026 BMW XM

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW XM doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Cullinan and XM 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 XM’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.

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 XM doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Cullinan and the XM have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

Rolls-Royce pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cullinan for 1 year and unlimited miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the XM (4/unlimited vs. 3/36,000).

On the EPA test cycle the Cullinan gets better mileage than the XM running its gasoline engine:

The Cullinan has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the XM (23.8 vs. 18.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Cullinan can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The XM doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

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

The Cullinan has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Cullinan’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The XM doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cullinan’s wheelbase is 7.5 inches longer than on the XM (129.7 inches vs. 122.2 inches).

The Cullinan has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more rear headroom and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the XM.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Cullinan’s available rear seats recline. The XM’s rear seats don’t recline.

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 XM doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The Cullinan has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XM with its rear seat up (19.8 vs. 18.6 cubic feet). The Cullinan has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XM with its rear seat folded (68.2 vs. 64.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Cullinan easier. The Cullinan’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the XM’s liftover is 32.8 inches.

The Cullinan’s cargo area is larger than the XM’s in almost every dimension:

The Cullinan’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The XM’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

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

The Cullinan’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XM’s (7300 vs. 5952 pounds).

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. Comfort Access standard on the XM 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 power side reverse swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the sport utility. The XM doesn’t offer a power rear door.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Cullinan to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XM doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Cullinan has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The XM doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

Both the Cullinan and the XM have standard massaging front seats. The Cullinan also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the XM.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Rolls-Royce Cullinan retains 55.58% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 38.89% resale value of the 2026 BMW XM after five years, which can save the Rolls-Royce’s owner.