BMW Marks 25 Years of X5 with Silver Anniversary Edition
BMW is celebrating the X5 SUV‘s 25th anniversary with a limited-edition version of the luxury SUV. The German automaker actually calls the X5 a “Sports Activity Vehicle,” or SAV, and says that the X5 invented the segment. Your mileage with that term may vary, but that idea helped inform what we see here for this special model, dubbed the X5 Silver Anniversary Edition.
The X5 Silver Anniversary Edition is based on the 2025 X5 xDrive40i, the all-wheel-drive, twin-turbo, straight-six-powered version of this car. To the baked-in on-road poise, the Silver Anniversary Edition gets an added helping of off-road prowess thanks to a few additional components and settings.
The headlining element is a new xOffroad package, which is not currently offered on any other BMW X model (X denoting the company’s SUVs). The package includes a two-axle air suspension system that can increase the X5‘s ground clearance for better performance off-piste. To make use of that added clearance, BMW also fitted this version with a mechanically locking rear differential and plenty of underbody protection plates. Customers can add aggressive General Grabber All-Terrain tires as a discounted, dealer-installed upgrade.
Along with the hardware, the X5 Silver Anniversary Edition also comes with a bunch of software upgrades for the driveline. Flick the driver experience control switch on the center console, and you’ll be offered multiple new drive modes including xSnow, xSand, xGravel, and xRocks. Match the mode to the terrain underfoot and the system will adjust all sorts of operating parameters such as ride height, transmission programming, throttle mapping, traction control, and more.
There are plenty of non-functional styling touches as well. Shadowline trim, normally reserved for vehicles equipped with some sort of M sport package, will be standard on this model. The blacked-out trim is fitted to the window surrounds, roof rails, fender-mounted breathers, and the kidney grille. The front and rear lights are also darkened. The only paint on offer is Lime Rock Grey metallic, and there’s a subtle Silver Anniversary Edition badge on the tailgate.
Inside, you can upholster your sport seats in a few different hues, from black to cognac to a soft gray that BMW calls Silverstone Sensafin. The console and dash trim is carbon fiber, an accent normally reserved for higher-performance (and higher-dollar) X5s. The middling version of the X5 that this special variant is based on will also get the Harman-Kardon surround sound system as standard, which is a plus.
Production for the 2025 BMW X5 Silver Anniversary Edition begins in August of this year, and quantities will be very limited—”about” 1000 units are planned, according to BMW. Each one will carry an MSRP of $81,075, including the $1175 destination and handling charge. If this sounds like your ball of wax, make haste and call your local dealer; even though we don’t expect to see many of these out on the trail, we do expect them to sell out quickly.
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