[Hope]

Hello all! I am new on this forum for the simple reason that I want to buy a fisker, but am not sure if it is the best choice.

The other choice that I am debating with is the Tesla Model S. This particular car has won many "Automobile of the Year" awards, is greatly considered a classic, is fantastic to drive (I have driven both cars) and has enough room for what I want to do. The problem that I have, is that it has no gas engine, meaning I can go for ~300 miles and then I'm dead and can't move anymore, whereas I don't have that problem with the fisker. But, the fisker is 40K more expensive. (For the base models of both cars.)

What I'm wanting to know from you guys, who have bought fiskers, is: How are these cars like to live with and are they really worth it? If you we're to buy your car again, would you do it? And would you pick the Fisker over the Tesla and why?

Thanks very much for your replies, and I look forward to posting more on this forum in the future.

Hope

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Hello all! I am new on this forum for the simple reason that I want to buy a fisker, but am not sure if it is the best choice.

The other choice that I am debating with is the Tesla Model S. This particular car has won many "Automobile of the Year" awards, is greatly considered a classic, is fantastic to drive (I have driven both cars) and has enough room for what I want to do. The problem that I have, is that it has no gas engine, meaning I can go for ~300 miles and then I'm dead and can't move anymore, whereas I don't have that problem with the fisker. But, the fisker is 40K more expensive. (For the base models of both cars.)

What I'm wanting to know from you guys, who have bought fiskers, is: How are these cars like to live with and are they really worth it? If you we're to buy your car again, would you do it? And would you pick the Fisker over the Tesla and why?

Thanks very much for your replies, and I look forward to posting more on this forum in the future.

Hope

You should keep a few more things in mind, such as, you can't get a base Tesla yet (it will be a year plus before they start producing the base ones), and that the base has a theoretical range of 160, not 300 miles (practical range on the 300 mile model is 80 to 90 percent of that, so figure 128 to 144 miles for the base S, depending on driving style, weather, etc).

If you're willing to wait that long, Tesla may (or may not) have their supercharger stations up by then. Of course the base model doesn't come with supercharger-ability either but you can go for various add-ons and intermediate ranges. But you'll still have to wait.

If you want one now, a Tesla S will cost you pretty much the same as a Fisker Karma. You'll get a lighter, faster vehicle with more cargo space, at the cost of not being able to drive more than ~270 miles without a long recharge delay.

Since I have a Karma, I may be biased, but I like the look of the Karma (inside and out) a lot more. Not that the S is bad, it's just not "wow" the way the Karma is. I haven't yet run into major cargo issues, except that my old SUV-ish station wagon was able to hold a bunch of artwork (paintings and photos) that would not have fit into the Karma (normally I'd just put them in a moving truck, along with my furniture, in order to move back to my house, but they needed some looking-over and reframing and such for the upcoming open house that happens first). I don't know if they would have fit in the Model S. I did take a fairly big load of Costco stuff, including a new printer, in the Karma (using trunk and back seat)...

 

[SoCalGuy]

@Hope - you say you've driven both cars (I have as well). What did you think of the driving dynamics of the Model S and the Karma? What are some important considerations/factors for you (e.g. how many kids do you have, do you have another car(s), etc)?

 

[Hope]

@Hope - you say you've driven both cars (I have as well). What did you think of the driving dynamics of the Model S and the Karma? What are some important considerations/factors for you (e.g. how many kids do you have, do you have another car(s), etc)?

Just for some clarification, what do you mean by driving dynamics? If you're talking about the driving experience, I thought that the Karma was a lot better to drive. There was more room for me (especially since I'm 6'2") and it had quite a comfortable ride. Although I do think that the model S was a better drivers car for someone like me who likes to push it sometimes, I still found the karma to be a better car. I also found the Karma to be much easier to drive, especially in hill mode 2, so that makes it alot more relaxing as well. As for the other questions, I have no kids, and I sometimes have to make longer trips, which is why I'm leaning towards the Karma, but I have read reviews on the Internet saying that the karma had a lot more issues (reliability, user friendliness etc.) and that they preferred the S. On some of those trips, I do need 1 or 2 suitcases so I need a little bit more room as well (plus side to the S.) So basically, I'm in a ditch, and I don't know how to get out of it...

 

[Hope]

You should keep a few more things in mind, such as, you can't get a base Tesla yet (it will be a year plus before they start producing the base ones), and that the base has a theoretical range of 160, not 300 miles (practical range on the 300 mile model is 80 to 90 percent of that, so figure 128 to 144 miles for the base S, depending on driving style, weather, etc).

If you're willing to wait that long, Tesla may (or may not) have their supercharger stations up by then. Of course the base model doesn't come with supercharger-ability either but you can go for various add-ons and intermediate ranges. But you'll still have to wait.

If you want one now, a Tesla S will cost you pretty much the same as a Fisker Karma. You'll get a lighter, faster vehicle with more cargo space, at the cost of not being able to drive more than ~270 miles without a long recharge delay.

Since I have a Karma, I may be biased, but I like the look of the Karma (inside and out) a lot more. Not that the S is bad, it's just not "wow" the way the Karma is. I haven't yet run into major cargo issues, except that my old SUV-ish station wagon was able to hold a bunch of artwork (paintings and photos) that would not have fit into the Karma (normally I'd just put them in a moving truck, along with my furniture, in order to move back to my house, but they needed some looking-over and reframing and such for the upcoming open house that happens first). I don't know if they would have fit in the Model S. I did take a fairly big load of Costco stuff, including a new printer, in the Karma (using trunk and back seat)...

Oh ok, thanks for the clarification! Really helps out...(It's ok btw to be biased towards the Karma. I think it's a lot better looking as well...

 

[pythagoras]

I haven't driven the Tesla but I also have a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 and I think the Karma has way more comfortable seats, and overall more of a relaxing comfortable drive especially for a commute. And the Karma looks even better than the DB9 especially with the Diamond Dust paint!

Only clear flaw I find with the Karma is the command center (daytime) glare and some of the UI design, as you may have seen in Brian's rant video. But remember 99% of the time you're supposed to be driving not fuzzing with the command center, so for me the rest of the experience greatly outweighs the weak command center.

 

[Nin ja]

I use mine as a daily drive to work and back. I take the car to play golf on saturday and it fits one golf bag well. Once you're in the car, the experience is much better then the S ( I test drove an 85kw), but the S is much faster and defintly has more creature conforts.

To sum it up

Model S for pragmatic every day use with range limits, but seems to have been better built (but can't confirm long term use)

Karma for an exotic comfortable ride , that looks and feels exotic, but after owning it for a while, can defintily say was rushed and can certainly use some more refiments to compete at the selling point.

I read somewhere -- The Karma is like an 1980 super car in performaces and quality; have driven some cars from that era, I agree with the assessments.

 

[Fabulist]

@Hope: Welcome to the Forum. Check out this thread for comparisons between Model S and Fisker. In particular, check out this post by forum member Dennis who owns both a Fisker and a Model S. In addition to all the other information, you may find the real hands-on experience of owners useful in your consideration.

 

[Hope]

Approximately how many suitcases of normal size, do you think fits in the trunk. My guess would be one, which means its probably too small for me. However, being as I'm in love with this car, I won't scratch it off my list just yet...Thanks for the help so far guys!

Hope

 

[SoCalGuy]

I'd say the following (in the interest of full disclosure, I own a Karma but I have test driven a Model S Performance).

Model S
+ Very cool tech
+ Tons of storage space in frunk and trunk
+ Seating for 5
+ Very efficient (3.1 miles per kwh EPA)
+ Performance version is faster than the Karma (most notably at mid-speed)
+ Feels solidly built
- Made in America (although I think only 40% of parts are US-sourced)
+ Faster onboard charger (10kW is standard I think, optional up to 20KW)
- Looks are average (think Mazda or Jaguar)
- Interior not as luxurious / just average, and below what you'd expect from an $80-100K car
- Limited range / can't just 'gas up' when needed
- Not as 'fun' to drive compared to Karma

Karma
+ Awesome looks - really, best looking car on the planet
+ Well appointed, luxury interior, with four pod-like seats, in keeping with car in this price range
+ Range extender to allow flexibility to 'gas up' when needed on longer trips
+ Great driving dynamics / good feedback from steering
+ Comfortable ride
- Slow charging (only a 3.3kw charger)
- Not quite as efficient (only 1.6 miles per kwh EPA)
- Sluggish Command Center, will improve with future software updates
- Fit and finish is below Model S, but still acceptable and improving
- Only seats 4

Net net, I was impressed with the Model S as a totally ground-up, paradigm-changing car . Tesla as a company is all Silicon Valley. The Model S Performance was fast and had loads of space. Fisker, in contrast, is more Detroit in company approach than California entrepreneur. The Karma is an emotional car - from the moment you see it, and even more so after you've driven it. It's relatively fast, well appointed and truly unique. It gives driver's flexibility on range and on how you drive it (all electric, gas or both).

I was worried about my test drive of the S - I thought I'd love it so much more than my Karma. After having driven it, I'm glad I got my Karma. The S is a great appliance, is truly innovative in what it represents. It's just not an emotional car. It has some limitations. But as with all these things, your mileage may vary.

 

[pythagoras]

Don't know how many other family members you have or how often you go to the airport, but for my Aston Martin (with trunk similarly small as Karma) I used to put the big suitcase in the backseat. That would be way easier with Karma than was with the DB9 since Karma is a 4-door.