+1/2...

I don't 'get' the Euro plate in the first place. If you don't have to have a plate up front, why have one? Maybe it's my extreme sense of practicality, an engineering tendency, or just a more difficult to explain personal preference. I suppose my preference is rooted in the removal of all the badges on my 4.8is, 540, and 330. They serve ZERO purpose in which I find value. Pretty much the same with Euro front plates.

To me, they draw attention away from the sleek but very aggressive lines of the X5 front. They focus the viewer on the plate. He's looking for some hidden message/vanity within the letters or at the country of origin. Either way, because they're not a usual siting in the US, his eyes aren't where designers wanted them. If he can't 'get' the vanity, or if he doesn't know the country of origin, he's left with only questions.

And if he is me, chief among these questions is... why the Euro plates?

/rant #2

__________________