Cool Wall: 2011-2012 Fisker Karma

  • Thread starter Snikle
  • 8 comments
  • 1,194 views

2011-2012 Fisker Karma


  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
1,090
United States
United States
Poll 1501: 2011-2012 Fisker Karma nominated by @tarnheld
Fisker-Karma.jpg

Body Style: 4-door sedan
Engine: 2 liter inline-4, 2 electric motors
Power Output: 403 hp
Torque: 960 lb-ft
Weight: 2400 Kg
Transmission: 1-speed
Drivetrain: Front engine, rear wheel drive
Additional Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisker_Karma
S0-modele--fisker-karma.jpg

03-2012-fisker-karma-fd.jpg

18211111038456171600x1060.jpg

13-2012-fisker-karma-fd.jpg

 
This is still one of the sleekest sedans I’ve ever seen. Definitely one of the most interesting sedan designs in a pretty long time. Crazy to me that this is an eleven year old design, it still looks just as modern as many current offerings. But, this car is easily outclassed by the Tesla Model S in terms of efficiency, space, seating, value, and quite honestly, looks; we may appreciate the Karma's unique styling as "car people", but I think to the average Joe the design is too whimsical and off-putting. In addition, there is a severe lack of infrastructure in place to service the Karma. This is where Tesla really shines, on a worldwide scale. The ownership experience that Tesla provides for their customers is second to none, and that's what a car purchase boils down to. Reliability, ease of service and cost of ownership, all of which is absent from a Fisker. Ultimately, it's what's inside that counts, and that's where the Karma falls short. It's also worth pointing out that the way these things depreciate would make a Maserati look like it's good at holding it value; the extreme scarcity of parts, sky-high repair bills, and questionable build quality pushes them as low as $35k.

Reluctantly, I vote uncool.

Here's a completely unrelated fun-fact for anyone interested: Henrik Fisker also designed the Tesla Model S, and was later sued by Elon Musk because he thought Fisker intentionally made the Model S look worse than the Karma to increase sales of the Karma.
 
Last edited:
I never considered the Fisker Karma (later to become the Karma Revero) to be gorgeous, but it is a fascinating vehicle to say the least. This car is not sublime to any extent. I'm sure very few people will say it is some "who cares?" car. The car is immensely elegant. The long and mean profile is inviting and really shows some character in its design. This wasn't really one of my favorite cars of the 2010s, and I don't think it is the best car to come from the 2010s decade, but I am going to give this a Sub-Zero.


I was going to mention seeing this in Gran Turismo 6, but I didn't know prior to posting that the Fisker Karma was in GT6.
 
Was busy the last few days, but yeah this car isn't great. I personally think the front is terrible looking, thought that since the car came out when I was like 10. The side profile is better, but still. Plus you always hear about how this long-ass car has less interior space than a Corolla too. A far cry from the BMW Z8 the same guy designed 10-ish years before. Uncool
 
Overlooking the questionable styling, the battery fiasco, the shady financial dealings that occured after the company went bust which almost tanked EV development in America, and that misguided attempt by Bob Lutz to shove LS engines into some unfinished frames and sell them as boutique supercars...

Justin Beiber owned a chrome-wrapped one at one point. Just... ew. No. Seriously Uncool.
 
Last edited:
Yet again I feel like I have weird taste in cars because I do like this. Not love but like. It has some very old fashioned proportions, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I also don't see what's wrong with the front. Range extenders were the best way to make PHEVs when this was around and the eco-friendly interior was innovative. I shall give to a cool because its not gorgeous but I do think it looks very nice and to me the lack of practicality does not make it uncool.
 
I'll say this:
I do not find it that cool.
But it's beautifully proportioned, and I imagine that it stands out quite a bit from the regular cars.
Low cool
 
Back