Maybe the Fisker Karma sports car checks in at 5,300 pounds because it's weighed down by the aspirations of its supporters. What other $102,000 plug-in hybrid has been both dissed and defended in the presidential and vice-presidential debates? It's a symbol of a new breed of automobiles as well as, some say, excessive government spending (to support green cars). Ah, but what is it like to drive the car? On the road, the Fisker Karma is a hoot to drive. No car looks like the Karma. It's quick in battery-only mode and quicker still with the gasoline engine and electric motor both running, but less-swoopy, less-expensive cars are quicker.
The Fisker Karma is a visual treat from the outside. Inside, it's a technology wonderland and all the confusion that comes with new tech in the cockpit. Outside, it's a mere five inches shorter than a Cadillac Escalade (weight is nearly the same). Inside, it is snug in front and cramped in the vestigial rear seats. The cockpit materials feel rich and costly but the fit and finish needs work.
Fisker was kicked around in the vice-presidential debate by Republican challenger Paul Ryan and defended by incumbent Joe Biden. In the debate on October 12, Ryan said, "Was it a good idea to spend taxpayer dollars on electric cars in Finland or windmills in China?" The previous week in the Obama-Romney debate, Romney said green energy companies got $90 billion in tax breaks, including automotive firms Fisker, electric car maker Tesla, and battery maker Ener1 (now bankrupt). "You don't just pick the winners and losers," Romney said to Obama. "You pick the losers."
Alternative energy is one of the GOP whipping boys in Campaign 2012 because solar panel supplier Solyndra got $535 million in government aid to jumpstart alternative energy, then rolled over and died. Fisker got a $530 million loan guarantee in 2009 to build two cars, the Fisker Karma and the Fisker Atlantic (née Fisker Nina). Fisker drew down a bit under $200 million. The Karma is built in Finland and the Atlantic is to be built at a former GM plant in Delaware if and when production starts. No matter, the Department of Energy and Fisker say the money was for engineering done in the US, the piggybank was suspended south of $200 million when Fisker didn't meet production deadline: The Karma was more than a year late to market and the Atlantic has yet to be produced. While the Obama administration doled out the Fisker funds, the bill was approved in 2007 when George W. Bush was in office. In other words, both sides are stretching reality. But, hey: election year. Ends justify means.
Driving the Fisker Karma
When you're done admiring the exterior, hop in and settle in. (Also move the seat forward if you're carrying anyone over five feet tall. It's even tighter in back.) You'll see rich materials and a bulky console separating the seats. Notice the 10-inch LCD display in the middle. Inside the console live the 315 lithium-ion batteries that will run the Karma for 20 to 40 miles in electric mode, depending on your driving habits. Press the start button, parts of the dash and center stack glow, and you hear a bit of a humming sound. To move off, you press the the drive selector pyramid on the console.
You depart under battery-electric power, accompanied by a synthesized pedestrian warning sound (speakers under the front bumper) that is somewhat like a Gulfstream climbing to altitude way off in the distance, or the ringing in your ears after the band stops. The steering is firm and precise; the car is planted firmly on 22-inch wheels and ultra-low profile (35 series for geeks) tires. The Karma switches to gas-engine power when the batteries are nearly depleted. It's a 260-hp General Motors four-cylinder turbocharged engine and the car gets raspier; under full-throttle acceleration you wonder if the engine was sourced because GM is American and so is Fisker's half-billion-dollar startup loan.
Many of the cockpit controls aren't physical buttons but buttons on the busy center stack LCD display. As with any car with a stiff suspension, tapping the buttons precisely while moving is a learned art. It's the same issue that will annoy Cadillac CUE users. What seems cool in the showroom is different on bumpy roads.
The car has no transmission as such but there are paddle shifters. They toggle the Karma among electric-only driving, sport mode where both gas engine and battery are powering the car, and hill mode, which provides more emphatic battery regeneration with more forceful slowdown the moment you lift off the gas.
The Karma is what's called a series hybrid, meaning the power is always delivered by electric motors. There are two 201-hp electric motors just ahead of the rear wheels. The gasoline engine under the hood spins a generator that sends electric power to the rear motors. It's the same way a diesel locomotive works, only faster acceleration, just over 6 seconds to 60 mph, about 1.5 seconds slower on electric power alone. Various testers have found mileage with the gasoline engine running to be around 25 mpg. With a tank of less than 10 gallons and only 20-40 miles of battery charge, you're looking at a highway range of around 300 miles. Recharging the battery pack runs 16 hours on household current, about a third of that with a 220-volt charger. There is a solar panel embedded in the roof to aid charging; it presents a stunning visual to passersby -- "Whoa! That's environmental!" -- and a modest gain in battery range. Perhaps that's what attracted Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber.
Is the Karma good enough to buy (so Fisker can repay taxpayers)?
Every sporty car carries possible compromises: luggage capacity, ride over rough roads, and difficulty getting in and out because by the time you have enough money to afford the car, your body isn't so limber anymore. Then there's reliability. Consumer Reports bought a Fisker Karma, had it die during the initial warm-up phase, the batteries needed replacing, and the car suffered other maladies and electrical gremlins. Other testers have commented on fit and finish issues degrading the value of the high-end cockpit materials. For the same money, you could get a Porsche Panamera hybrid with almost the same status, more room, and more reliability.
The base model, the Fisker Karma EcoStandard runs $102,000, and combines vinyl upholstery with fancy Brembo brakes, iPod jack, Bluetooth, and parking sonar. The $110,000 EcoSport adds leather that uses more of each cowhide including the scratched parts, navigation, and a vitally important backup camera. The $115,000 EcoChic swaps the leather for recycled faux suede and the wood trim is -- get this -- reclaimed from wildfire-survivor trees in California or logs submerged in Lake Michigan.
Bottom line: The Fisker Karma is a pretty much a Chevrolet Volt in a better wrapper. Just multiply the wow factor, handling, and cost by a factor of three. For all the car reviews you read about a gas station attendant asking if the new Mitsubishi is really a Ferrari -- does such a gas jockey still exist? -- this is one car that will turn a lot of heads. Whether that's worth $100,000 is less certain.
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