Sorry about the quality of the pics. I took it after it got dark but hopefully it gives you a good idea what it looks like.
Under mount bracket using existing holes and screws



Bracket without plate

 

I'm in NY, and I'm surprised that the NJ dealer gave you a choice about that front plate.

Ordering in NY gives you an order list to Jaguar that includes US style back plinth and US style front plinth.
Mine arrived neatly positioned on the front bumper, and is actually molded to suit the slight bias-curve on the car's surface. Has multiple mounting holes in it to receive whatever State plate goes on it.
This is so that your plate is drilling into the plinth, and not into the bumper.
My plinth even allowed me to fit a 4bumper metal guard and a rubber gasket.

I was afraid the manufacturer was going to allow the "dealer" to mount a universal plinth of some kind after the car reached the US, but I was happy to see it on the initial order form, and happy with the style the factory installed.

 

I could be wrong but I don't think the factory installs the front license plate brackets. I bought the car in NY but it was shipped up from a dealer in NJ where front plates are also mandatory. Thats when I found out it didn't have a front plate holder on it and I did not want the dealer drilling into the car plus I preferred the look without it. It did however come with the Jaguar plinth and hardware to install it but unfortunately it still needs to be drilled into the front of the car. Front plates never bothered me before on any of the cars I've owned until now. I think I just liked the design of the front so much that I didn't want it blocked by the plate. This way I can have it on when I need to and take it off when i want to. I think its just a personal preference.

 

Same with mine coffeerich44, came with the plinth in the trunk to be installed by dealer, it still requires holes to be drilled regardless of who does it. My dealer said they have seen some people just zip tie it to the grill but that's just silly if you ask me. If I decide to keep the front clean then I don't see a point in ordering any other hardware I guess, otherwise I will just have them drill holes and be done with it .

 

I've seen some people strap them to the passenger side visor too but I'm not sure if our visors are big enough for that. I agree with you on not zip tying it to the grille. It's probably not a good idea to block the airflow to the radiator that much either.

 

I drove for years with no front plate, first on my 2004 Xtype, and then the VDP as well as on my 2011 XF and never had any issues. My 2015 had the front bracket placed at the dealership before I had a chance to stop them otherwise, I would not have put front plates on there. Hate that fact that there are holes in my bumper!!!

 

In the state of Texas, displaying the front plate is required by law, and is a primary offense if a cop wants to pull you over for that reason alone.

I've long been of the mindset that I do not want to break more than one driving rule at a time...so unless I commit to driving the speed limit (not willing to do with this car...), I'd better have a front plate.

I did mount my own however, so I could put it exactly where I wanted it. When I looked at how the dealer mounted them in the lot, I knew i'd have to install it myself...to minimize the interruption of those front lines on the XE as much as possible. Still ain't very pretty, though....

Consider I go without....Let's say I'm going down a freeway at 15 MPH over posted speeds, but also have traffic around me doing similar speeds as me. All other factors being equal, I believe without a front plate it would be far more likely I'd be singled out for traffic violations from that group because of a missing plate on the front....the LEO can get better revenue from me as I'd have no plate. Not worth risking in my opinion.

But I'm personally really careful to keep my driving record clean. I always go to court to challenge tickets. If the officer does not show, the violation is automatically dismissed. If they do show up, I will always plea for Defensive Driving or Differed Adjudication, and complete those obligations to keep tickets off the record. It is also amazing what slack LEO will cut you if you have a perfect driving record when pulled over....

 

I am in TX, where the front plate is officially required by law. I've been driving without a front plate on my XE since I picked it up. In fact, the dealer said they never drill holes for the front plate unless the customer specifically requests it... despite the fact that it's required here.

My brother and his wife, also in TX, both drive BMWs without the front plate, and have done for years.

 

Looking at the photos on the web site (google is a friend)
STO N SHO 2017 Jaguar XE R Sport
for the price (which is less than the potential ticket...and adding tint, etc will add to the target value of the local revenue enhancement officers...) it doesn't look like a bad solution to remove one temptation to have to have a discussion on the side of the road.

Sometimes it's just not worth poking a stick in Smokey's cage, you know?

 

Aren't your eyes too sensitive? At the tint place ask whether they could recommend a good eye doctor

 

I get that but the whole point is not to mask the nice looking front grill of the XE , if I was to use that plate I may as well just drill holes and mount it on the car. This bracket does not solve my dilemma

 

probably not...but it does serve four purposes: 1) keeps the constabulary off your case by displaying a front plate, and 2) lets you pull the front plate to reveal the nice lines when at the local cruise night or saturday morning coffee and cars get together, and 3) when you're driving the car, you can't see the front anyway......and 4) doesn't doesn't require drilling holes in the face of the bumper cover, which I think is the part that most of us find annoying.

Sounds like with a little compromise...can come up with a solution...that satisfies both the stupid legal requirement as well as the pride of ownership question.

 

you are absolutely right in my case though I really do not care about the holes if its covered by the plate anyways. I am too lazy to install and remove the plate depending on occasion

 

I've had mine for a year now and didn't add the front plates. It's a non moving violation here in Colorado so I figure worth taking the risk. Looks so much better with no plates on the front.

 

I posted this in another thread....easy enough to install; two T20 torx screws on the bottom of the front fascia, with the added bonus of not attracting special awards from Virginia State Troopers.

 

The dealer asked me if I wanted a front plate and I said yes.

I'll rather not have another reason for a cop to pull over a red car going over the limit xD The police in my area pull people over for any reason they see fit.

My friend has gotten a police warning because the cop thought his light was out, but it was not. He still gave him the warning even though he had no proof...

 

If two plate states offered a rear plate only plate for 3x the regular plate; inmates would be working double shifts to keep up with the demand. Windfall for the politicians...

 

 

Mine is still in the trunk , its staying there till I get a ticket , I am still trying to figure out a way to do it without drilling holes in the front bumper which is what the dealer wants to do .

 

I admit that European front license plates always look better to my eyes than US states, because the plinth and the plate in Europe’s countries are so much longer with more digits and letters.

The US plinth may look a bit pokey and obtrusive in the front of our XE, but there are times (when you have an interesting attachment added to your plinth) when it seems to look “JUUST PERRRFECT” right where it is.
A shot of my Duo-Guard protector on the front of my XE…

To me, something about the “weight” of the guard, the color, the amount of black rubber in the right parts of the guard, seems to agree with the slightly-leaning angle of the nose of the car, and seems to look more important in that particular location between upper and lower grille.

There are a couple of protective guards I’ve seen that give an elegant dress to a car with chrome trim accents. The 4-Bumper Duo is one of them.