Sorry, The Facelifted Land Rover Discovery Still Has An Offset Number Plate

Yes, there’s a facelifted Discovery, but no, Land Rover hasn’t shifted the number plate from its controversial offset position. Sorry.

The fifth-generation version of the Disco raised eyebrows with its quirky rear end, which references the arrangement used on the vehicle’s ancestors to keep the plate out of the way of the spare wheel. Not everyone was a fan, and some tuning companies even produced a fix.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the plate remains stubbornly offset - visually, Land Rover hasn’t changed a whole lot. There are new LED front and rear light clusters, a lightly tweaked front bumper for R-Dynamic derivatives, some new wheel options, and that’s about your lot.

As with a many of recent JLR facelifts, a lot of the important tweaks are in the cabin. The overall design is much the same, but the centre console is all-new, featuring a ‘Pivi Pro’ infotainment system. The 11.4-inch touchscreen is 48 per cent larger than the old setup, and it’s joined by a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster plus an optional full-colour head-up display.

To go with the new cabin, there’s also a fresh and relatively simple engine-line up. This starts with the 296bhp, 295lb ft ‘P300’ petrol, with a 3.0-litre mild-hybrid inline-six kicking sitting just above. Curiously, you don’t get the 395bhp version fitted to the Defender - this one makes a modest but punchy enough 355bhp and 369lb ft for torque.

There’s no longer an inline-four diesel option, with the derv models consisting of a pair of inline-six mild hybrids. There’s a choice between either a 247bhp, 420lb ft ‘D250’ or a 296bhp, 479lb ft ‘D300’.

The updated Discovery is available now, starting at £53,090.