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Karma Revero...the worst review of a vehicle or product ever

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Funny, saw one yesterday. Cool lookin car.
2018k.jpg
 
I think that's about the cruelest automotive review I've ever read.

This one comes to mind:
It’s Cheap, but Is It Overpriced?

Mitsubishi’s ads claim the Mirage DE starts at $12,995, though that excludes the mandatory $810 destination charge. At $16,890, my ES test car came in at a price point where the eager Ford Fiesta, the charming Honda Fit or a lifetime supply of Merrell hiking boots would be better choices.
 
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Whether or not the Revero is a POS or not, the review wasn't written by anybody who knows anything about cars.

She rates the driving while sitting at a light? Shiit, she's REALLY going hate a Lamborghini Huracan. Driving a car is a better way to tell how it drives.

Her knowledge of modern tech is very limited. 'The 6.6kW charger takes 10 hours to charge a 21kWh battery' (paraphrased). Uh... that's 60kWh or that's <4hr. There is no planet where it's 10h. Oh... it takes UP TO 10 hours to charge the car if all you have is 120v access. To be honest, except for the PHEVs that can't make it to work and back, 10 hours is actually fast on 120v.

No mention of handling. Other reviews have said it handles well.

No mention of whether it even has brakes or not, much less what they do.

No mention of features except what country some of the leather is from. Forgot to mention it's custom made. If you want baby seal pelt seats, they can probably set you up.

She thinks GM no longer makes a 2.0L i4 Turbo. Uh... That is one of their most common engines. It powers cars all the way up to the Cadillac CT6, and is 275HP when used as a base engine for the Camaro. I don't think they are going to stop production soon.

Ergonomics is left completely out. Not like it's important to sit comfortably in the car while driving or anything.

I do bet she thinks a $5000 purse cost $5000 because it's better than a $50 one. Just a hunch.

If you've driven in Orange County, California, you've see a few of these around Irvine with MFR plates. Why? They certainly catch your eye if you are a car-person (as opposed to a cat-person). They look unique, whether that's good or bad is in the eye of the beholder.

Personally, I see it as overpriced and under performing, with bizarre almost cartoonish styling (remember when the Diablo or DeLorean came out? that effect). But it will get most folk to work and back on just juice, and is quick enough to be safe, but not quick enough to cause trouble. And? If it's jewelry that gets you moist, it's that.
 
The solar PV roof does look pretty neat. Looks like they have upped the power to 200w, from the original Karmas 120w, and it can apparently charge the traction battery too: (new solar car roof for the new KARMA Revero) The Revero is only EPA rated at 60 MPGe. On a more efficient car, with 100+ MPGe, a comparable solar roof could be a fairly significant enhancement. It probably still wouldn't pay for itself over the life of the car - but maybe close.
 
Solar roof is simply an expensive marketing gimmick. The additional weight, mounted up high, reduces range and handling. The amperage generated is insignificant.

Bob Lutz is retrofitting a bunch of the older non functioning Karmas with a Corvette V8. He has replaced the troublesome solar panel with lighter solid sheet.
 
The solar panel while being silly for adding range, could serve an important purpose. It could extend the parking time allowed on cars with high vampire losses. At locations such at airports, this could be an improvement over cars without PV panels.
 
Hannah Elliott is replacing Trevor Noah as my favorite 'understated' comic. I laughed so hard my eyes watered and I had to read it all again.

Since I have actually experienced a Fisker Karma and have observed the Revero version. It seems nothing has much changed since the 2012 version except the battery supplier.

How H. Fisker manages to stay in the business is amazing to me. His only project taht might be called succesful was the DB-9. The BMW Z8 did not even last long enough to be face-saving. With M1 and Z1 they made technical progress and were beautiful. The Z8 was just bloated, like the Fisker Karma.

We must admit he does make things that people look at. Still, not even gobs of money and determination could make the Karma even vaguely interesting. But, at the Aventura Mall, not far away from the Tesla store and convenient to the brand new Superchargers there is a new Revero Karma on static display, attracting children and the odd passing Tesla owner/buyer. Nice to see it: I never want to be in one again, but I still will look, nostalgic for what might have been.
 
Solar roof is simply an expensive marketing gimmick. The additional weight, mounted up high, reduces range and handling. The amperage generated is insignificant.

I'd agree with the sentiment if it were a little 5 watt panel - like some of the Gen 1 Leafs had. Apparently all it did was some trickle charging of the 12v system. As McRat points out, it might help prevent a marginal 12v battery from failing while parked in a long-term parking lot at the airport. Doesn't seem like Nissan or its owners have been too impressed with it as the Gen 2 Leaf doesn't offer the option.

The Reveros 200 watt panel is powerful enough that the calculations start to get a bit more interesting. My Volt, with the HVAC off, draws about 0.5 kW at 'idle'. On a sunny day, and we have a lot of those here in California, 200w worth of panels (you'd need at least three on the Gen 2 Volts roof) could significantly off-load the DC-DC converter while driving. If it was able to charge the traction battery while parked, it works out to a 'free' 4-5 miles/day in the summer, though maybe only a mile/day in January.(*)

Would it 'pay for itself'? Nah. But like I said, it _looks_ neat.

(*) Yes, I am very familiar with solar insolation values and such. I regularly check the stats on my home solar system.
 
The Karma HQ building is literally right across the street behind my house. I see a fair number of their cars out and about. I do got to say the car is very eye catching and it stands out. However the specs are kind of underwhelming when you dig into the car more.
 
I drove a Karma before I bought a Model S. At the time I was driving a Volt. The Karma was woefully unimpressive. Poor performance and the fit and finish of details was dreadful — and very noticeable even to someone who might not know cars very well. At the time I walked away thinking it was a major POS. Sounds like the latest version still is.
 
Had a 2012 Fisker
bad performance and suspect reliability.....but looks that would kill
always stopped for questions about it.
I see you can buy 2018 revero for 53-57K they've actually proven pretty reliable
not a bad buy in the 50's for a car with under 10k for miles
msrp was 135K
 
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Had a 2012 Fisker
bad performance and suspect reliability.....but looks that would kill
always stopped for questions about it.
I see you can buy 2018 revero for 53-57K they've actually proven pretty reliable
not a bad buy in the 50's for a car with under 10k for miles
msrp was 135K
Does Karma Automotive support it with parts? Their BEV Revero looks interesting. Not "I'll buy one" interesting, but more of an intellectual curiosity.