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The BMW X5 has shown proper mettle in the 2025 Rebelle Rally, taking the Bone Stock Award and finishing second overall in the X-Cross class. This was no trailer queen: a near-standard X5—much like the SUV that leaves Spartanburg—was tasked with eight days and over 1,700 miles of dunes, dry lakes and rock-strewn tracks, and came out with silverware. Featuring an inline-six and all-wheel drive, it blended calm traction with the stamina needed for long liaison legs and soft-sand climbs.
At the controls, off-road regular Rebecca Donaghe drove with measured aggression while BMW of North America product manager Rebecca Dalski navigated the old-school way on paper maps and a compass. The car ran under Bone Stock rules, meaning no performance add-ons and only aftermarket wheels and tyres in factory size. That constraint became the point: the X5’s drivetrain, cooling and suspension coped with heat, load and repeated recoveries without relying on bespoke rally hardware.
Dunes Day is where many contenders fade, yet the X5’s torque delivery and gearbox mapping helped it stay on plane in the soft stuff, while its chassis shrugged off transverse ruts and chopped crests. Away from the sand seas, long haul stages highlighted the SUV’s ability to sit stable at speed and conserve energy—useful traits when fatigue builds and navigation penalties lurk. For BMW’s engineers, the rally served as rolling R&D, feeding real-world data into the next evolution of the X family.
Partners did their bit behind the scenes, but the headline remains the car. The BMW X5 proved that a production-spec luxury SUV can deal with hostile terrain and still feel composed on road—an off-road exhibition backed by results, not brochure talk. If you wanted proof that the badge carries substance beyond kerb appeal, the Rebelle Rally just supplied it.
