So I spent some time in a Fisker Karma today...

I had to pick it up from the dealer and drive to one of our shops to machine some spacers for the wheels. It was a 30 mile round trip on some back roads. It was kinda what I expected it would be like to drive. A big heavy plush car that people stared at you while driving. I had the same feeling driving a Panoz Esperante roadster through downtown Atlanta during traffic except the Karma was actually nice inside and out.

There were a few of things I liked about the car:

1. The car looked great inside and out(IMO)
2. it sounded kinda cool at low speeds, like a damn spaceship or something inside
3. It was kinda fun to get the car's range to stay as high as possible while on the backroads(I know I am lame but I wasn't going to be hauling ass in a car that is worth several years of my yearly income)

The thing I couldn't stand was the push button gear selector, it was so cheese dick with the lights that lit up in front of the buttons.

In all honesty, I would rather have a 991 or a C6 ZR1 instead of this thing if I had the money. It was still a cool experience I won't forget like driving that Esperante but I wouldn't spend the asking dollars for either as new cars.

I completely suck for not getting pictures of the car. I was going to snap a pic while in the car and before I got to the shop but I was too busy(and nervous) trying to stay the berkeley away from other drivers

Edit: Here is the exact car from when it was at our shop the first time.

It's the kind of thing I would buy if I wanted a nice DD and was obscenely, disgustingly rich.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Yep!

Though honestly, I think I might be looking at a hotted-up BMW or VW diesel for my quasi-eco-friendly-wealthy-DD needs...

EDIT: Either way, thanks to Anti-stance for the impressions! It's neat to hear from someone who actually got to drive one a little...

They are oddly huge in person.

ransom wrote: EDIT: Either way, thanks to Anti-stance for the impressions! It's neat to hear from someone who actually got to drive one a little...

I don't get to drive cars like that often as usually a "do-boy" does this kinda stuff, but if I get to drive any other exotics (other than the usual pull it from a parking space into a bay) I will gladly report the findings.

Some guys at the shop act like they don't care when they see or work on stuff like this but they take pictures all the time.

spacers for the wheels? Somebody is not going to "Stance" that thing, are they? Kinda defeats the purpose, no?

Touche

Yep spacers with Lexani wheels with Goodyear rubber on a $100K plus car. Don't get me started on that rant. As much as I am "anti-stance", I live life in my own personal automotive purgatory. Yep, wheel spacers, hub rings, and stretching tires on a daily basis. My boss is part of the "stance-nation" and we have some of the Stance|Works people come by for mounting tires. Yep, my own personal hell.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/18/bob-lutz-destino-is-the-fisker-karma-people-will-actually-want/

Fisker Karma - Electric Motors + LS9 + T56 = Destino

How long have your worked for Butler? Do you know any of the BMW club guys?

About 4 months. My boss is the big BMW guy and has all of the BMWCCA guys come to our store for hook ups.

Anti-stance wrote: In all honesty, I would rather have a 991 or a C6 ZR1 instead of this thing if I had the money. It was still a cool experience I won't forget like driving that Esperante but I wouldn't spend the asking dollars for either as new cars.

Okay, so you'd rather have a sportscar than a luxury sedan. But how would you compare it to a Mercedes (S or E or CLK?) or BMW (5 or 6 or 7?)?

I'm really not sure what size this one would be, hence the S/E/CLK and 5/6/7.

Anti-stance wrote: Touche Yep spacers with Lexani wheels with Goodyear rubber on a $100K plus car. Don't get me started on that rant. As much as I am "anti-stance", I live life in my own personal automotive purgatory. Yep, wheel spacers, hub rings, and stretching tires on a daily basis. My boss is part of the "stance-nation" and we have some of the Stance|Works people come by for mounting tires. Yep, my own personal hell.

Don;t worry.. just as big useless trunk wings have gone away (mostly) so will the stance fad

In reply to CGLockRacer:

That is actually awesome.......

Anti-stance wrote: Touche Yep spacers with Lexani wheels with Goodyear rubber on a $100K plus car. Don't get me started on that rant. As much as I am "anti-stance", I live life in my own personal automotive purgatory. Yep, wheel spacers, hub rings, and stretching tires on a daily basis. My boss is part of the "stance-nation" and we have some of the Stance|Works people come by for mounting tires. Yep, my own personal hell.

Hey, it's a paycheck. It's not immoral, just a PITA. I hate commercials, but I worked in radio/TV. I'd go back in a heartbeat if anyone was hiring.

mtn wrote:

Anti-stance wrote: In all honesty, I would rather have a 991 or a C6 ZR1 instead of this thing if I had the money. It was still a cool experience I won't forget like driving that Esperante but I wouldn't spend the asking dollars for either as new cars.

Okay, so you'd rather have a sportscar than a luxury sedan. But how would you compare it to a Mercedes (S or E or CLK?) or BMW (5 or 6 or 7?)? I'm really not sure what size this one would be, hence the S/E/CLK and 5/6/7.

Sorry it took a while. Here's how I see it.

Size wise is kinda tricky with the car because it is huge on the outside and not so huge on the inside. It is the size of an S class MB or a 7 series BMW on the outside but is the size of a C class MB or a 3 series BMW on the inside. With me being as tall as I am, I would not want to sit in the seat directly behind a person my height. We have had a few of them in the shop and I have always said it looks like a Maserati had sex with a C6 Corvette.

As far as interiors go, BMW and MB doesn't even come close to the materials used in the Karma. I get in and out of MBs, BMWs, and Land Rovers all day and you can definitely tell that the interior of this car is in another ballpark. The only thing I do not like AT ALL is the stupid push button gear selector. If you asked me to pick a gear selector I preferred in all the cars I hop in and out of it would have to be in the brand new BMWs, the one in the center console, not that stupid one in the column. That was a terrible design.

Ride quality was much like a S class MB with 22" wheels on it. Basically it felt no different.

Here's another Fisker I did yesterday.

We put some black chrome factory wheels on it.

Sorry for crappy cell phone pic.