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Fisker Surf
The Frankfort Motor Show was the location of the Fisker Surf
plug-in hybrid revolution, although the design ideas had been
on the minds of the company designers since 2009. The Fisker
Surf shares a power train with the Fisker Karma, but the Surf
is a wagon with five doors, giving more utility to drivers.
The Fisker Surf is a station wagon merged with a sports car,
according to the company co-owner. He is fond of cars that he
calls "super cool", but also cars that you can live
with and perhaps take a trip in, even with luggage. Fisker is
not a newcomer to design. He has worked with Aston Martin and
BMW, and the Surf features earth-friendly gear like you'd find
on a specially-designed green car.
The seating of the Fisker Surf is made with a tanning process
that is low in emissions, making this an Eco-friendly car. Synthetic
materials will also be available, for animal-friendly buyers.
You may opt for a glass roof, which comes standard, or a solar
roof that is even lighter than glass.
The wood trim of the Surf comes from recent fire-ravaged trees
in California, and even from Great Lakes logs that were recently
found submerged and that have been re-purposed. The underside,
carpet, metal trim and seat cushions are recycled, as well.
You can go from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds in the "sport"
mode of the Surf, using electricity and gasoline combined. Using
all electric power, it takes 7.9 seconds. The car is not light
on torque, but it is heavy in weight and it has only one gear
ratio. Motor Trend reports that the Surf is about 77 pounds
heavier than the Fisker
Karma. They will also be designing a multi-speed
transmission on future models, to improve speed potential and
efficiency.
Fisker is a small company, with lots of talent, and good but
not bottomless funding. The Surf, with its composite and aluminum
body, has only 233 unique parts to differentiate it from its
older sibling, the Karma. They utilize a different design process
when you compare them to other companies. Nothing pertaining
to the Surf was an afterthought. It was named after ocean waves,
as inspired by the ocean at their new California company home.
There is almost 29 cubic feet of cargo space when you lower
the back seats of the Fisker Surf, and, although it won't be
doing any heavy hauling, it does have a handy segmented trunk
for workday use. The company is also designing an attractive
roof rack to carry other items, including sporting goods like
skis, snowboards or surf boards.
The wheelbase of the Surf is as large as a family wagon, although
passengers in the back seat may find the space limited, if they
are tall. These dimensions were kept tight purposefully, so
that taller passengers will opt to ride in the front, or drive.
Even so, the Surf is a niche vehicle, which it not intended
for everyone.
Fisker creates new and innovative vehicles, like no one else's.
They accept the risk in creating smaller cars that are not mainstream.
The Surf may be too extreme for some people, but for others,
it may be just what they have been looking for.
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