Fisker Karma – quick first drive
We grab 20 minutes in electric luxury hybrid now on sale in the Middle East
By Shahzad Sheikh
I don’t understand range-extender hybrids.
On the other hand I have to grudgingly admit that regular hybrids, like those from Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and even Porsche, which have been on sale here in the Middle East for some time, do at least appeal to my sense of logic.
They remain petrol-engine cars supplemented by electric drive systems, so at slow speeds or in traffic, the car can run purely on electric. As soon as the battery discharges the regular engine starts up and recharges the batteries. And when you’re on the go, the car employs good old fashioned combustion power, which is aided and actually boosted in some cases by the electric motors.
So you have more weight, but then you also get more power and far greater fuel economy. What’s not to like? Oh yeah, the higher purchase prices, the reduced boot space in some cases and the stigma of being green – where would that leave my rubber-ravaging credentials?!
What is a range-extender hybrid?
Range extender hybrids also feature a combination of electric drive systems and traditional gasoline-fuelled engines. Except that in this case, it’s only the electric motors that are connected to the drive systems, the purpose of the loud, exhaust-belching engines being purely to charge and run the electrical system.
Hang on, if you’re going to be lugging around a petrol-engine, why not connect it to the drive system, even if it is just a weedy 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit?
The answer of course is that doing it this way removes the needs to plug in your car and wait for lengthy recharges when the batteries drain of juice. Hmm… okay.
A couple of years ago Jaguar showed the C-X75 supercar concept which employed two neat little diesel-fed micro gas turbines to do the job of charging. That, to me, was a really neat new solution. But it seems that particular technology is still too far ahead of us and sadly the limited edition production version of the lovely Jag will revert back to traditional motive power.
Introduction of the Fisker Karma
Honestly speaking then, I arrived at the evening launch of the new Fisker Karma in Dubai at the Swanky Al Badia golf club, more than a little sceptical for two reasons: the aforementioned doubt about range extenders and the rumoured price of this all-new oddity brought to the UAE and the wider region by Trading Enterprises of Al Futtaim.
They will distribute the cars exclusively in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt and the Levant. The first showroom, located in Dubai Festival City opposite Toyota will open by the end of the year.
Anyway, Henrik Fisker then popped up on stage to tell us the story behind his baby and I gave him my utmost attention; not least because he has previously designed some of the most beautiful cars in existence, the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage and the sensational BMW Z8. Oh – a bit of a Bond connection there, wonder if the Fisker Karma will also end up in a Bond movie? It’s certainly gadget-laden.
But before it can work in a movie, we have to decide whether it can work in the real world. And much of that has got to do with its creator. Here is a guy who has staked his reputation, design skills and indeed his very name on his own dream car.
And it is a design-led car for sure. The elongated and elegant bonnet, the voluptuous dunescape-inspired curves, the exquisite diamond motif details, the shimmering and very unique paint utilising recycled crushed glass are all spectacular.
Then there’s that dramatic, low-slung stance, draped over the extraordinary 22-inch wheels slung out at each corner, shod with bespoke Goodyear rubber, all of which seal the deal as far as looks go. In the metal this thing is a sensation.
‘Why do hybrid cars have to look boring?’ Answer: ‘they don’t, not when Fisker’s doing them.’
Then Henrik told us how the batteries are installed in the central tunnel to keep the weight in the centre of the car with a low centre of gravity; he mentioned that it has a limited slip differential and only one gear, so the acceleration from its 403bhp and massive 960lb ft torque supplied by the two motors, is completely unhindered as it accelerates to 100kph in 6.3 seconds. Top speed is limited to 200kph.
It has built in loud-speakers making a gliding UFO-style noise so that people can hear it on the move. There are solar panels on the roof that look after the minor electrical requirements of the car such as lighting and cooling, and in fact it will automatically switch the a/c on and keep the car at a cool cabin temperature when you leave parked in the sun. And they’ve gone around the world to find the best materials for the Karma, including leather for the upholstery from Ireland, the same sort used by Aston Martin.
Despite all the luxury, it’s claimed the car will go 80km on battery power alone, and then the engine will come on, and you can run another 400km before the fuel runs out. And the price? I’d heard in excess of a million dirhams for this car originally. In fact it ranges from AED500,000 to 600,000, about the price of a Mercedes CLS 63 AMG. That includes a three-year unlimited mileage warranty and three-year 60,000km service contract.
Plus Hollywood has adopted it and Leonardo Di Caprio is an equity investor in Fisker Automotive. This really was starting to feel like good Karma! Pun fully intended of course.
The Drive
Almost a convert, it was with renewed interest and curiosity that I turned up the next day for the privilege of a drive in this gorgeous, rare and exclusive automobile. The cars were all plugged in and charging through either 110V chargers or optional 220/240V for quicker charging in about six hours.
With time limited and three journos plus a chaperone to a car, travelling in short convoy around Dubai, it was going to be brief taster, starting with me squeezing my six-foot frame into one of the plush-looking asymmetrically-styled rear seats.
There are only two seats in the back. A big centre panel hides not the drivetrain as it does in traditional cars, but the battery pack that is installed along the length of the car from underneath. The petrol engine sits in the front along with the generator and two electric motors in the back driving the rear wheels.
As far as the rear cabin space is concerned, what I will say is that it’s not as bad as an Aston Martin Rapide, which is very confined indeed. It’s a wide and expansive inside the cabin so the high waistline doesn’t make it claustrophobic, but if you have long legs, worry about where your knees are going to go, and if you are tall torsoed, you’ll find you have to tilt your head sideways to cope with that low roofline. So as with the Rapide, leave the rear pews are for kids.
Interestingly, despite its visual length, the Karma is 50mm shorter and lower than the four-door Aston although it’s 50mm wider and has a longer wheelbase.
Fortunately a half hour later I got to transfer to the driver’s seat. However despite his insistence that he was absolutely fine, the Fisker chaperone sitting directly behind was even taller than me and I just couldn’t bear to squeeze him in even further by moving my seat back to where I would normally have it. Nonetheless, there was definitely more space up front.
Without much time to take in the fantastically futuristic instrument panel, beautifully milled and styled in keeping with the unique shapes of the rest of the cabin. I glanced quickly across the superbly crafted dashboard with its unvarnished wood trim, cloth covering, large central monitor and clean fascia. Then looked down at the empty glass compartments in the central tunnel (not really sure if they open or what purpose they serve), and wondered where to put the key, finally sticking it in the cubby box and then turned my attention to the pyramid of control.
At least that’s what I’m calling it, a curiously shaped collection of buttons that allow you to select Drive, Neutral, Reverse and Park.
Punching D, I rolled quietly off into the heavy traffic of the highway and after a slightly hesitant initial build-up (well it does weight 2404kg with four blokes on board probably adding another 350kg), found myself carried along on a solid wave of uninterrupted torque – one gear ratio remember?
Once you’re on the move there is ample performance from the electric motors for sure, but punch it (and when the batteries start to discharge) and the engine kicks in. With the exhausts exiting out from just behind the front wheelarches there is quite a drone. However the Fisker guy assured me that it was a loose bolt on this particular car that was causing a resonance vibration and that normally the engine was relatively quiet.
Nonetheless, it can obviously be heard, but the road roar from the big wheels and the fact that you’re so close to the ground, is potentially more apparent. The steering feels well-weighted and responsive, and the brakes are strong (being Brembos, they should be) but could be modulated better.
Despite being rear-drive, and its good weight distribution, there’s no getting away from that long nose. There’s a slight reluctance to turn-in at slow speeds with some understeer on fast sweepers. It’s not a car you’re going to be chucking about hard though; you do feel it’s width on the road, although the length doesn’t pose a problem. Visibility out the rear-window is limited but not an issue on the go – as for parking, valet it.
The initial verdict
Too soon we arrived back at Al Badia and my stint behind the wheel was over.
So what do I think? Having thought about it for a few days, and having had previous experience running a Lexus LS600h hybrid for a while recently, I still can’t say I’m entirely convinced by the range-extender concept, especially when cars like the LS600h work so well.
Putting that aside for the moment, the Karma is a welcome addition to the line-up of truly exotic and exciting cars, and just on looks alone it’s a worthy poster child for the green-motoring brigade. If all environmentally-friendly cars are going to look as sexy and thrilling as this, we certainly won’t be complaining.
It has to be said though that there are penalties to be paid for that screen-siren style – cabin space being the main one.
Additionally, with these cars that we drove, I couldn’t help shake the feeling that I was driving a development prototype, a car that is still being honed, perfected and not quite complete yet.
Of course, the thing with the Fisker Karma is that it’s a beginning. A completely fresh beginning. It’s almost worth going as far as saying that this is a bold new hope. The car of the future will be different, different to the Karma even, but cars like this are the milestones that are bringing that future closer to us.
So to those that can afford cars at this end of the market, I would urge them to not only go out and buy a Karma immediately (adding to 1500 of the Finnish-made supersaloons already sold), but to use it daily out on the roads where the rest of us can stare and marvel and admire its beauty, innovation and nobility.
By doing so, you’ll allow Fisker to evolve the product rapidly to a point where it could stand robustly alongside the likes of the Mercedes CLS and Porsche Panamera as a truly quality alternative.
Plus there’s another benefit – plans are already in place to bring a range of Fiskers to the market within the next couple of years (equally good-looking ones I should imagine), including a convertible, a smaller saloon and, yes, even an SUV, all of which will make this sort of cutting-edge motoring accessible to more people.
Hmm… I was right, there is definitely good Karma here.
2012 Fisker Karma
Specs
Price: AED500k-600k ($135k-163k
Engine: Twin electric motors 403bhp, 960lb ft
Performance: 0-100kph 6.3s, 200kph
Transmission: Single speed, LSD, rear-wheel drive
Weight: 2404kg
