If it is not recalls and recent electrical fires, now it’s a review by Consumer Reports.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Sept. 25, 2012
2012 Fisker Karma – $103,000 to start, 32 miles all electric range (AER), 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds and a paltry 20/21 mpgUS city/highway rating when on the gas
Karma: “Bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad” according to dictionary.com. In the case of the Fisker Karmait is an E-REV Electric Vehicle with elegant “Jaguaresque” or Aston Martin like lines capable of reaching 60 mph in just over 6 seconds.
Fisker this morning made a statement regarding the Karma besting the 2025 EPA fuel economy standards with a 47.3 mpgUS result “assuming the Karma will drive half its miles on gasoline and half on electricity” giving the Karma an equivalent fuel economy rating of 47.3 MPG vs. the 45.6 mpgUS target a vehicle in its class (and footprint) should meet.
While it meets the DOT/EPA 2015 mileage targets and looks stunning while doing so, apparently it is a POS.
The Consumer Reports Vid as posted is only part of the story as the Karma has been overwhelmed with poor press as of late including the fact that
Fisker’s Karma is in a Very Bad Way.
Propulsion
The A123 Systems sourced 20 kWh Li-Ion pack is good for 32 miles AER (maybe 33 miles depending on what EPA figure you look at) while the 260 + HP direct injected and turbo charged 2.0L provides not only the power to turn the Series MGSet to propel the wheels but from its very modest 9 gallon fuel tank, allows another 180 miles of range on the gas. A meagerly some I know
Ride And Handling
Besides the press kit, it surely handles well. In addition to the large Li-Ion pack being low slung across the bottom central tunnel of the car, it has four-wheel independent suspension, and 22-inch alloys with sticky low profile racing rubber.
On the ride front, I am not expecting much.
Safety
Standard fare for a vehicle available today including eight airbags, Antilock Brakes (ABS), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Panic Brake Assist (PBA).
To bring the massive 5,300 pound monster down from speed, some 14.5” Brembo front and rear discs are employed.
Size
On the roominess front, it’s a mighty midget and while luxury automobile buyers have put up with small cramped quarters for decades in the name of Ego and fashion under the guise, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lamborghini, Fisker continues that tradition with just 88 cu. ft. of passenger volume, about the same interior space as that of a B-Segment Kia Rio.
Epilog
Ok, nobody here will be buying one soon but having seen one driving through downtown Chicago two days ago, they are eye catching like nothing else on the road. And if driven on the plug a lot more than the 2.0L engine, maybe we can call it an exquisite addition to ones drive with a “somewhat green” moniker despite its faults?
wow!
Linear Mode
