The Fisker Karma seems to have a lot going for it, including an opulent design, a lot of hype, and leading-edge hybrid technology. Built by an American start-up company created by a car designer, the stunningly styled Fisker reflects those priorities. But in the end, it is not a particularly good car, especially considering its $108,000 price tag, which was the most we'd ever spent on a test car.
The Fisker is a plug-in extended-range hybrid. It can travel up to 38 miles on battery power alone, before the gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity on longer trips. Then it can travel another 250 miles on a tank of gas. The battery takes up to six hours to recharge, a relatively long time.
Handling, braking, and ride quality are all competent, but that's the price of admission in this vaunted class. The Karma is as heavy as some large SUVs, which blunts efficiency and performance. Tight quarters and impaired visibility combine for a claustrophobic feeling in the plushy lined cabin, undermining the sense of luxury. Conventional controls are replaced by the worst touchscreen interface we'd ever seen, creating an ergonomic nightmare.
Given its cost and tiny sales numbers, we may never have enough samples in our survey to rate the Karma's reliability. But our own experience gives us reservations about buying any expensive, high-tech product from a brand-new company like Fisker.
Our car received a battery replacement from a recall, and we've often had to "reboot" the car to fix one electrical gremlin or another, including some that rendered the car immobile. Plus, our car made four trips to the dealer in less than 5,000 miles of ownership.
We think few buyers would find such problems tolerable.