Discovery 5 - rear plate aesthetics. AGAIN!

[55palfers]

I'd quite like a D5 as a replacement for my elderly G, until I get round the back.



....and spot the offset plate.

Yes I know it was done to death at launch, but now the car has become more numerous, is it still a design no? Have we mellowed?



The D4 has an offset plate and yet that seems OK.

Why is that? Because it's square? Further over? More original Defender?

[rufmeister]

There are rear panels available with central number plate, looks ok to me centralised, but there is just something about it that throws me having seen so many side plates.

The side plate can look ok, but the image you have shown makes it look awful.

[Scrump]

I think it looks fine on the D4 because it will not fit in the centre, the rear window shape prohibits it, the car looks designed for it in a function over form way. (Similar to the defender).

It looks wrong on the D5 because there is no reason why it couldn’t go in the centre, just that the designers decided to put it offset in a form over function way.

[Gnevans]

£995 plus fitting for a centralised solution:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173869753020

[A.J.M]

I still think it looks awful.

Moving it to the centre fixes it but it’s a lot of work and expense.

[g7jtk]

The lights are the problem. It would look better if they were vertical. The number plate could move further over and the door could be wider.

[Andeh1]

Looks stupid, ridiculous design decision. It is a very good vehicle otherwise though!

[55palfers]

Andeh1 said:

Looks stupid, ridiculous design decision. It is a very good vehicle otherwise though!

My conclusion exactly. I drove one at a Landrover Experience day. Impressive.

I suppose you don't spend too much time looking at the rear.

[lexusboy]

Go sit it in it and drive it. You’ll soon realise the feel of it far outweighs the looks of the car which you can’t actually see when you’re driving it.

I used to dislike how they looked but the more I’ve seen them and the various way people specify them they can look really good

[s p a c e m a n]

You can get the conversion kit for about £300

[Osinjak]

Had one as a loaner for a week and cringed at the plate. After the week was up I didn't give a monkey's and actually, perversely, was secretly pleased with its oddness.

Unless you are properly OCD, you'll soon forget about it after a while and will just enjoy the car for what it is.

[Krikkit]

I've always liked the offset rear plate - to me the centralised version looks a bit odd.

What I don't get is why the offset plate wasn't upsetting everyone on the D3 and D4 - no spare wheel carrier there which is why it was offset in the first place.

[RicksAlfas]

Krikkit said:

What I don't get is why the offset plate wasn't upsetting everyone on the D3 and D4 - no spare wheel carrier there which is why it was offset in the first place.

Because the rear window was an odd shape too, so it worked.
The D5 has a completely conventional rear end, other than the number plate!
I can't believe they didn't sort it in the facelift.

[300bhp/ton]

Gnevans said:

£995 plus fitting for a centralised solution:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173869753020

£1k certainly for those with more money than braincells....

[300bhp/ton]

55palfers said:

My conclusion exactly. I drove one at a Landrover Experience day. Impressive.

I suppose you don't spend too much time looking at the rear.

You can't see the bootlid at all when driving.

I think it looks better with a different shaped plate:


Clearly it still stands out, but I think that is the point of it.

I wonder if a square UK plate would be the answer to making it look more acceptable?

BTW - curious. Why the D5 over the new Defender? Or are you looking used, in which case I assume price.

[Osinjak]

I'd love to be there when Gerry has his moment of clarity.

[The Wookie]

Krikkit said:

I've always liked the offset rear plate - to me the centralised version looks a bit odd.

What I don't get is why the offset plate wasn't upsetting everyone on the D3 and D4 - no spare wheel carrier there which is why it was offset in the first place.

I think it's because the rest of the D5 is a bit generic and none of the rest of it 'works towards' the asymmetry so it just looks contrived

I think it worked on the old D3's and D4's because the design was more obviously quirky, and with the window being stepped too it was a more obvious link to the functional asymmetry of the original

[ro250]

300bhp/ton said:

You can't see the bootlid at all when driving.

I think it looks better with a different shaped plate:


Clearly it still stands out, but I think that is the point of it.

I wonder if a square UK plate would be the answer to making it look more acceptable?

BTW - curious. Why the D5 over the new Defender? Or are you looking used, in which case I assume price.

That looks way better. In the original photo why is the plate made so large? Even a normal rectangular plate would look better.

[oop north]

I saw one with the centralised plate and it just looked really wrong. I certainly wouldn’t bother