[Karma 2012]

What feature(s) in Karma that you felt was over promise and under deliver? or has yet delivered?

What about feature(s) under promised but over delivered?

I think listing out the features may help some of the new buyers to decide if Karma is right for them at this time.

 

[EVer1]

For me, the 50 miles of electric driving was over promised. As that is similar to mpg for other cars, and is very dependent on driving conditions, it is not a big issue for me. But I hope that dealers are explaining that a little better to prospective buyers.

My Karma, like others, has had some issues. But frankly, fewer of them than I had expected with the 1st offering from a new manufacturer, so I'd call that over delivered.

My dealer has been terrific, and adding miles/time to my warranty was a positive surprise. Definitely over delivered.

The pleasure of the driving experience in the Karma was over delivered. I have never enjoyed my experience as a driver so much. I enjoy approaching my lovely sculptural vehicle, I like pulling away in Stealth mode, and the understated elegance of the cabin suits me perfectly. The car handles beautifully, and is ever so comfortable.

I was completely unprepared for the level of attention this car generates. Even a year later, I still have gawkers and car lovers who want to talk to me about it. I’m not sure which category that fits into?

 

[Karma 2012]

Ever1,
Thanks for the response. For me, the over promised features are,
Center console software/hardware was a let down. Solar roof info page and Remote cabin precondition are still not delivered.
50miles per charge was also unclear when I purchased the car in 2011.
The frequent visits to the dealer was more than I have anticipated.
Body fit was an issue that I have not heard a solid solution for.

Over delivered are:
Great support and service from Fisker Automotive and my dealership
The design and look is better in actual car than the printed materials
The Smooth ride of 4 door sports sedan was better than I have expected
The integration and transition between Sport and Stealth modes are amazing.

I wonder if Fisker is still working on improving the 2012 Karma, or this is the best they can achieve? I would like to believe my Karma will get even better as time passes

 

[dennis]

I wonder if Fisker is still working on improving the 2012 Karma, or this is the best they can achieve? I would like to believe my Karma will get even better as time passes

CEO Tony Posawatz did promise an upgraded Command Center UI in his December letter to owners.

 

[AnOutsider]

Was that the one tentatively scheduled for march?

 

[dennis]

Was that the one tentatively scheduled for march?

Yes, March 2013.

 

[Sigurd]

It sometimes is hard to see the beauty around you. Often we do not appreciate what is right in front of us because we are too caught up with life. I have now owned my Karma for 1 year and almost 2 months and it has been a life changing experience for me. This car truly is the future. It might be a bit before its time. I don't know if the world is quite ready for this type of a car. Gas is still too cheap. Oil companies are still too powerful and people are still too afraid of change. But, what a treat it has been to own such a marvel of technology for the last year and more. I look forward to much more to come. I have no anxieties about driving this car daily or across the country any day. It is now bullet proof. This has been proven by my 18 month old son who (as the car is charging) gets in the car an pushes and pulls everything he can (over and over). No malfunction as a result, no C.E.L. in sight. I get in the next morning and drive my 40 mile round trip commute without gas. I finally filled up 8 gallons today after almost 3 months of driving. Tonight I sat in my car with my son as he was "quality testing" all the buttons and I could not help but admire the design and even the stitching of the dash. Simply amazingly beautiful artwork. I am sad for people that only sees flaws and misses the beauty in life.
This car is not for everybody, but for my driving habits, this is perfection.
I am also saddened to see how people are discounting the Model S because of it not meeting their expectations (probably also due to over leveled expectations by the manufacturer). The S is probably a wonderful car in the right environment. Whoever thinks a battery will operate at close to optimum in a cold environment obviously haven't spent much time in cold places. Batteries perform best around 70 degrees fahrenheit.
I hope we that have adopted cars propelled by battery power will unite because we are only a fraction of the driving public, and we already have enough apprehension from the public in general and hatred fueled by some, to make our life miserable.

 

[Stefan]

Right, Sigurd, but it is sad, that some of the companies, that are so much ahead of the time sometimes did not make it.

The oil industry is not happy with the idea of successful EV stories. Even the EV manufactures are not teaming up, as they are all sitting in the same boat...

My personal major example ( don't know the computer geeks in this forum) is the Apple Newton which was in 1993 the wolds first real PDA (I think most of you started with the Palm Pilot).
The one, I'm still using (MP 2100) is 16 years old and runs perfectly.

The Newton was discontinued in1998 when Microsoft invested in Apple and wanted to raise the selling of their Windows CE (mobile OS).

The concepts and a lot of features of the Newton OS later made their way into new OS, but nobody could fit it together that way....


Stefan
German Karma Forum
www.karma-forum.de

 

[TexasDavid]

I think the car is under promised as it is. By far. Consider the Aston Martin DB9, which I almost bought. What advantage does it have over the Fisker, yet it costs twice as much. It goes faster of course, but the overall feel of the Fisker is great as a driver, it uses far less gas, more recycled materials, more green materials, and more attractive.

The Fisker is definitely undersold and so the price seems high, when I think it is a real bargin. For example the Fisker is cheaper than a good dating service. Or the gas savings for a luxury car in this range must be at least $400-$800/month. Or what about cancer? There is no off-gasing that is now thought to be very carcinogenic in most new cars. There is also a wait list on the Teslas and the Karma is vastly superior.

There are far more charging stations than I expected -- I expected none.

There are problems with the car, but no less than any other luxury car I've had. The entertainment console is second to none. I don't know of any others that I've tested that have been as good and as intuitive to use. All of the for every manufacturer I've seen are hard to use. The navigation style of the entertainment system mirrors the modern website navigation.

I think Fisker marketing and sales are abysmal. That's a big problem. I think they could easily sell 10 times as many cars. I wish I were given the challenge and opportunity.

 

[AnOutsider]

The entertainment console is second to none. I don't know of any others that I've tested that have been as good and as intuitive to use. All of the for every manufacturer I've seen are hard to use. The navigation style of the entertainment system mirrors the modern website navigation.

Tastes vary of course, but this, by far, was the worst part of my test drive. And I was getting out of an r8 with a dated version of Audis mmi. Though ,I've heard it's been sped up, I didn't find it very intuitive.

 

[TexasDavid]

I don't find any of them intuitive and I'm good at UI design and technology. They all suck, including Fiskers, but as far as suckiness goes, Fisker's sucks less than most I find -- this opinion is based upon my passengers.

Most of my passengers (all range, age, and academic levels) are more capable of figuring out the Fiskers than others: the Prius, Sienna, Maserati, Land Rover LR4, Land Rover Evoque, BMW iDrive (my recent car list). iDrive seems to work well for me but I found most people get confused by both the rotation and sliding dial.

For example, the Toyota's Sienna's Quick Reference says, to get to your destination follow these 11 steps (and they are very confusing steps). This is the mainstream of course.