[Fabulist]

I went by Fisker Silicon Valley in Palo Alto for an impromptu test drive and was told the following by the sales person:

1) The instrument cluster background is white on the Eco Standard cars and black on the other models and cannot currently be changed.

2) There is a 6.12 version of the software in the works that addresses issues with the NAV system.

Beside these two (unconfirmed) tidbits, there was nothing new. The car drove very well. The steering felt a bit heavier than what I remembered from the test drive but felt fine. The acceleration was about the same and under heavy sport mode acceleration all you can hear is a very faint turbo whine that is actually pretty cool.

The car is definitely touchy about being started up correctly. When I first started it up, it refused to release the parking brake and we had to shut it down and restart it and wait a few seconds before it would respond. The response time on the touchscreen is a bit on the slow side and you have to hold your finger down for two-three seconds to get the car's attention. I suspect once the car is set up, I would be mostly using the steering wheel controls rather than the touch screen for routine actions.

The sales associate was actually very nice and helpful. Even though he knew I was already committed to buying the car from a different dealership (commonly owned with this one but in a different location) he still answered all my questions and let me take the car for a test drive even though he had another appointment booked in 20 minutes.

Being nice to the customer makes all the difference -- let's hope Fisker learns that lesson eventually.

-- Fab.

 

[LonePalmBJ]

I'm curious if #1 turns out to be true. It just seems unlikely. The Command Center and electronics have no idea what materials your seats are or what color you painted the exterior. Other than a different stereo amplifier, I can't imagine the Command Center would even know what trim level you have, much less be programmed to behave differently.

 

[Fabulist]

I'm curious if #1 turns out to be true. It just seems unlikely. The Command Center and electronics have no idea what materials your seats are or what color you painted the exterior. Other than a different stereo amplifier, I can't imagine the Command Center would even know what trim level you have, much less be programmed to behave differently.

The other difference is the presence of the backup camera system in the Sport/Chic models. The command center does not need to sense the difference, it's simply programmed with that information. I assume it is simply a stylistic difference without any functional impact.

-- Fab.

 

[Deep Ocean]

Good feedback guys, is it possible that the camera input somehow tells the screen what shade it should be in? I'm a true black believer with my TV's, but I'll admit I'm a novice when it comes to the technology ....Is it possible that the camera picture looks better with a black background and a white background might wash out the camera picture?

 

[SoCalGuy]

Regarding (1), that just seems silly and arbitrary. I actually like the white background!

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Good feedback guys, is it possible that the camera input somehow tells the screen what shade it should be in? I'm a true black believer with my TV's, but I'll admit I'm a novice when it comes to the technology ....Is it possible that the camera picture looks better with a black background and a white background might wash out the camera picture?

The backup camera view goes on the big touchscreen (replaces what's normally there while you're in reverse, if I remember right, or maybe it's a live feed in the center while the main buttons are still visible around the edges). The dashboard LCD screen is not affected.

I'd really like this (the dashboard screen) to be configurable. For instance, perhaps there could be a "configure" mode on the touch screen: It would show a mock-up of the dashboard LCD screen in sport and stealth modes (selectable via touch controls) and it would then let you choose foreground and background colors, widgets to display (clock, speed-in-{mph/kph}, outside temperature, whatever), and also let you drag them around in terms of position and size. When you have both modes set the way you like, you'd "save to preference 1" or "save to preference 2" (per key fob). Fisker could also provide a standard set of Recommended Modes (or "themes" as many like to call them these days) to scroll through and select, e.g., "Factory Default", "Digital Displays", "Red On Black", "White On Black", etc. (The full drag-and-drop-widgets config mode would be just for us computer geeks. )

Once saved as a preference, that would be brought up as the default for whoever is driving (on car start-up). The touch screen would also need a "reset active display to factory default without changing preference settings" mode for service folks to use, for instance. Thus, when you bring your car in for an oil change, the guy at the service desk takes your key, gets in car, pushes "configure" button, pushes "set temporary defaults for service", and does the service with all his readouts being the way he expects—the "factory default" mode. When he's done, he takes your car back out of the service bay and turns it off. When you collect the car post-service, you go to your car, get in, press "start", and it's all set back just the way you like it.

 

[Fabulist]

All the displays in this car, other than the status lights, are digital screens and can be programmed to show any information that is available. It's just a matter of updating the software. I think at this point, Fisker is focusing on function rather than style. There should be no technical problem in allowing the user to "skin" the display as he or she wants.

-- Fab.