American luxury green car manufacturer Fisker Automotive, a company once given a $528.7 million loan from the U.S. government, and one we’ve poked a bit of fun at for delays in production, catering to royalty, over-the-top marketing, as well as the almost $100,000 price tag for its Karmamodel, has announced a new plug-in hybrid vehicle called the Surf.
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011, the 2013 Fisker Surf seems to be almost exactly the same as the Karma sedan, only with a larger rear passenger and storage space, although the company says the plug-in hybrid is a crossover between a sports car and a station wagon.
image via Fisker
As you can see from the image below, the Surf does have a larger space for travel, but even as other reporters on the web, such as TopGear, have quickly embraced and praised the new vehicle, we’re more inclined to agree with the GreenCarReports blog that noted the Surf may not be as practical as it claims, specifically because of the rear-mounted 150 kilowatt electric motors.
image via Fisker
We certainly agree components like the rear-mount lithium-ion battery system can get in the way of more storage space, but we’re more concerned with the car’s lackluster performance specifications.
The Surf, like the Karma, has a top speed of roughly 100 miles per hour, a 0 to 60-mph time of 5.9 seconds, an all-electric range of 50 miles, and a total range of 300 miles. This isn’t too bad, but we wonder how many people will be willing to fork over what will likely be a high price tag for a green plug-in sports station wagon, no matter how cool it might look.
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