Fisker Karma

[Cobos]

I find it a bit interesting that every preview agreed on how well the car drives. Except the horrible sound from the ICE engine when you step on it, but the car hugs corners. Considering that the Model S has no ICE engine up front and up high, this means the Model S can be an excellent drivers car if Tesla makes it as good as they've "promised". Looking forward to reading previews of the betabuild and trying and seeing it myself.

Cobos

 

[vfx]

Then again Henrik Fisker says, "Many of these customers will have these other cars already in their garage and simply wish to add something unique and at the leading edge of green innovation."

Translation: Henry does not expect owners to actually drive the cars.

 

[Jaff]

From the review...

"Fisker predicts "people will stay in Stealth mode for over 80 percent of the time they're driving."

Buncombe!...just like the Volt, I'll not believe the 50 mile range until I see it done in a credible test. We are being asked to believe that the Fisker & Volt can operate in a spirited fashion yet not suffer any range reduction.

Folks buy a sports sedan to drive it in a performance manner, elsewise they'd buy more a more basic or niche model vehicle...just like my Roadster suffers from reduced range when driven for fun, so will the Fisker...difference being that my 340 km will drop to 180 km where the Fisker & Volt will drop from 50 miles to what???...a still usable, viable & practical range?

First Drive: 2012 Fisker Karma Autoblog

 

[ljbad4life]

To be fair, I think it's scheduled for May, but I'll just sit back and wait. I know there's something off here, I just hope when it comes to light, it doesn't damage the view of the EV community in general.

Also, never sat in one personally, but just from pictures, that interior is horrid. I think I'd feel awkward as much of the car's innards look personified. Will my guage wink at me? Will the cluster cough? Will the seats ask me to move my arse a little to the right?

Fisker made some design choice for form over function when it came to the passengers. Low roof line, long wheel base are great for driving, but inhibit usability. Mount a I4 longitudianlly(runs the length of the car). There was no need for that. There is no drive shaft. It couldve been mounted sideways like the volt (since the karma's I4 is attached to a generator), it would have freed up some room.

 

[dpeilow]

Report: Fisker Karma production to start March 21st Autoblog Green

 

[dpeilow]

Just saw Fisker's official twitter account tweet this:

"@fiskerauto: Karma production car at Geneva Motor Show this week. It was 1st premium luxury EV to appear there, and will be 1st to market."

 

[Jaff]

To me, just seeing the words "Fisker Karma" and "EV" in the same sentence smacks of misrepresentation...

 

[suxxer]

It was 1st premium luxury EV to appear there, and will be 1st to market.

Don't worry they'll get crushed anyway as they're lurking in the same "wanna-be-EV-but-only-PHEV"-league as all the BMWs (i), Mercedes' (A/B Class, SLS) and Audis (A1 Etron).

 

[AnOutsider]

Don't worry they'll get crushed anyway as they're lurking in the same "wanna-be-EV-but-only-PHEV"-league as all the BMWs (i), Mercedes' (A/B Class, SLS) and Audis (A1 Etron).

Unless, in the end, it's all the consumers want. With no one putting down good range numbers like Tesla, range anxiety is still very real. I admit, if I had a model S right now, I'd think twice before taking it on a trip to NYC or Philly. Wouldn't hesitate in a gasser.

 

[mt2]

Unless, in the end, it's all the consumers want. With no one putting down good range numbers like Tesla, range anxiety is still very real. I admit, if I had a model S right now, I'd think twice before taking it on a trip to NYC or Philly. Wouldn't hesitate in a gasser.

I got to agree. Fisker is misrepresenting themselves to the extent of lying.

But I live northwest of Chicago and my son lives in Kentucky. I'm eying the Model S as my next car and praying a fast charging infrastructure before I get it. I know I'm Fisker's target demographic and a "range extender" that gets better MPG than the Volt sounds attractive. Even knowing it's just a hybrid.

On the other hand, if the Karma's interior space is a limited as suggested above, then whatever they want to call it - it's irrelevant.

 

[suxxer]

beside that it just doesn't make sense to take the extra weight of the (emtpy after +/-50 miles) battery with you when traveling more than 50 miles. Go electro or stay with gasoline - choose according to your needs...

 

[DrTaras]

You guys are killing me with your all-or-none view of life. If you were Mr. Baskin & Mr. Robbins and decided that everyone had to have vanilla ice cream, then you never would have made it! Give the people what they want, what they think they want, what they want and should not have, what they don't want but should want & keep figuring out new ways to put it until you come up with 31 different flavors of ice cream! When you get them all out there, market your flavor in the best way that you can and let's see what shakes out to be the winner. It's the same way in life; you need to see other people's point of view and get out of the echo chamber!

EVs are great, but they are not for everyone. PHEV (too many other acronyms) Prius would be "better" than the current Prius to achieve the EV goals. Let people get used to the idea of plugging a car in, yet give them the freedom of driving it like a gas engine. If you are so sure that EV is the way to go, then that baby step will bringing them closer to a true EV in their next car.

Now back to Fisker... all I can say is hrumpf, hrumpf, hrumpf (muttering under my breath)!

 

[vfx]

...
Now back to Fisker... all I can say is hrumpf, hrumpf, hrumpf (muttering under my breath)!

As the only one on the board (that I know of) that has a Fisker in your future (possibly). What's your reaction to all these (finally) test drives Ian?

 

[richkae]

I can see that many people find the Karma to be a good looking car.

But if the point of being an EREV is to address the EV shortcoming of limited range it fails because of the limited cargo and passenger volume.

I've been trying to convince some coworkers to give up ICE cars, and many of them expressed a preference for the Karma over the Model S.
The limited space of the Karma is a dealbreaker for them.

If I were to own multiple limited utility fun cars the Karma could compete for one of those spots.

 

[dpeilow]

That sad thing is you know all the haters are going to say "told you so, PHEVs are impractical what with their batteries in the boot/trunk", whereas if Fisker put a thin battery under the floor like Model S they wouldn't have this problem and it would probably handle better.

 

[donauker]

I am on the list for a Karma as well and I would say for my part that reading the reviews really changed my expectations of whether I take it or leave it.

Prior to reading the reviews I would have put the probability at about 30% that I would actually stay on the list and take delivery once I got a test drive of the Karma. At this point I would put the probability at about 85%.

 

[FiskerBuzz]

I've been trying to convince some coworkers to give up ICE cars, and many of them expressed a preference for the Karma over the Model S.
The limited space of the Karma is a dealbreaker for them.

If I were to own multiple limited utility fun cars the Karma could compete for one of those spots.

There are rumors that a Fisker Karma wagon with more utility will debut later this year.

Here is a crude chop, for imaginative purposes:

Fisker also plans to offer an SUV variant of the Nina, tentatively named "Surf".

Another PHEV contender for those looking for more utility is the upcoming production PHEV Volvo V60.

 

[donauker]

That sad thing is you know all the haters are going to say "told you so, PHEVs are impractical what with their batteries in the boot/trunk", whereas if Fisker put a thin battery under the floor like Model S they wouldn't have this problem and it would probably handle better.

It isn't the battery issue as much as a styling issue for the Karma. The battery is in the tunnel between the seats.

 

[vfx]

Thanks for these. You are also very busy over there.

...
Fisker also plans to offer an SUV variant of the Nina, tentatively named "Surf"....

Have there been Nina pictures released?

 

[EVNow]

Fisker also plans to offer an SUV variant of the Nina, tentatively named "Surf".

I think a CUV/SUV is the right form factor for PHEVs - so families can take them on longer trips. Wonder whether Ford has plans to offer an upscale Energi.