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发帖数: 8397 | 1 http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/21/2012-fisker-karma-first-driv
road-test/
Hollywood, Your Plug-In Hybrid Electric Has Arrived
2012 Fisker Karma – Click above for high-res image gallery
Business partners Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler are visibly on
edge. While they want to dedicate every ounce of their focus on this
all-important launch of their first baby, the 2012 Fisker Karma, their
attentions are being constantly pulled away from it by big conference
calls regarding the money and logistics of launching the whole Fisker
Automotive franchise. Are they really and truly answering a $95,900-
$108,900 question with this bold effort that enough people are asking?
It's clear they just want us to fall in love with their lux'd up plug-in
extended-range electric sedan.
We've been helicoptered into the infield handling circuit at California
Speedway in Fontana to have a brisk go at one of Fisker Automotive's
first completed verification prototypes of the Karma, built by Valmet
Automotive in Uusikaupunki, Finland. We are already assuming that the
build quality and finish of all the pretty parts will be fine, as Valmet
has learned a lot about these things while building cars for Porsche to
strict Stuttgart standards. We also already know that the car is indeed
pretty inside and out, albeit particular to some out there, seeing as
Fisker has designed such lovely lady lumps as the Aston Martin DB9 and
V8 Vantage, not to mention the BMW Z8 roadster.
Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Fisker Karma...
Gallery:2012 Fisker Karma: First Drive
Photos courtesy Fisker Automotive
Fisker Coachbuild started back in 2005 after both Henrik and COO
Bernhard Koehler had had enough of slow project cycles at Ford's Orange
County advanced design studio. But they liked the area's year-round
weather and the plushness surrounding them, so they stayed put in the
OC.
Coachbuild work all by itself was pretty boring, so the two set their
active minds to building an entire car company instead. As the story
goes, one day, Fisker saw materials showing an abandoned U.S. military
project for special ops called "Aggressor," which was a high-performance
stealth hybrid-electric vehicle built by Quantum Technologies Worldwide.
Not long thereafter, Fisker Automotive was born when Quantum and Fisker
hooked up in 2007. And then, as quickly as January 2008 at the Detroit
Auto Show, we saw the Fisker Karma concept car.
The Karma's initial reception was much warmer than luke, but the design
frankly needed a little tweaking and most didn't give the Karma a
serious chance at making any difference in our automotive lives. That
was just before all of planet Earth became obsessed with greenery and
eco and feeling badly about having destroyed nature to further our
bipedal needs and desires. And then, of course, the world economy melted
like a Dali clock and we all reassessed our capitalistic selfishness and
whatnot. Basically, the timing was ideal for Fisker Automotive to try
and cash in on the several innovative green and generally smart thoughts
it was having. We, the guilty, are drawn to this stuff like yuppies to
mesquite.
By late 2009, Fisker Automotive was coming out of essentially a nine-
month hiatus during which Lucifer rose from Hell and swallowed mankind
whole. Or so we thought. But investors finally felt like investing
again, and just short of half a billion bucks had been promised to our
heroes, much of this attracted by the imminent huge loan being talked
about from the Department of Energy. Everything rode on that razor edge
– not just for the Karma itself, but also for any future plans. That
$529 million loan from you and me came through in September 2009 and
Fisker Automotive went directly from vaporware to a $1 billion, fully-
funded company with big cigar-chomping (but from sustainable tobacco
farms) plans.
So, here we are in Fontana.
The first noteworthy item is that the design tweaks carried out after
the January 2008 debut remain, and they still look good. These had to do
mostly with the face and grille, which were not in keeping with the rest
of the car's melody. We still don't care for the door handles that look
to our eyes like something off a cute little Daihatsu – they're too
small and size matters. But all the rest is fine and well within the
developing Fisker DNA.
The whole package looks more showcar bodacious than the actual original
concept. You want wheelbase? By golly, we got some. 124.4 inches of
some, to be precise. So, we have a Porsche Panamera- or Jaguar XF-length
vehicle with the wheelbase of a 2012 long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ. This was
needed primarily to fit all the plug-in EV with extended-range motor
paraphernalia within the space between the two axles. Between the long-
legged profile, wide tracks, and low 52.4-inch height, the Karma does
look the business. Toss in standard 22-inch fair-weather wheels – called
"Fisker Circuit Blade" for boldness points – and the whole package looks
more showcar bodacious than the actual original concept. A rarity in
this world.
When we suggested that maybe 20-inch Goodyear Eagle 1 tires and Fisker
wheels might deliver more everyday comfort, rather than just scoffing at
our practical ways, Fisker said, "If we went anywhere below 21 inches,
the center part of the steering assembly would come dangerously close to
the ground." We looked under there, and he's right. The winter tire set
is 21 inches, by the way. As we look at the Karma, it hits us a bit like
the Panamera in the sense that any wheel less than 21 inches starts to
look perilously like 14-inch steelies on a Toyota Camry.
And we sit in it, press the brake pedal, and press the ignition button.
Of course, seemingly nothing happens, but everything does light up
nicely. Primary sight stealers are the driver instrument cluster and
standard 10.2-inch haptic touchscreen of the Fisker Command Center
onboard diagnostics/climate/entertainment/navigation unit created with
Visteon.
The default mode is Stealth – in honor of the dropped special ops
project Quantum was banking on (and sort of still is) through Fisker –
and it can take us for a range of 50 miles on pure electric propulsion
at speeds up to 95 mph. Acceleration to 60 mph can happen in this ninja-
killer state in 7.9 seconds, which is not bad considering the Karma
weighs just over two tons, not unlike a Panamera 4S. (Exact curb weight
has not yet been revealed and, as any society lady knows, such questions
are not to be asked if it can be helped.)
Stealth mode includes a soundtrack that's being called the "signature
Fisker external sound," which all can hear up to 30 mph when it cuts
out. The idea is that, for around-town driving, the car makes enough
noise as it approaches so as to warn everyone in the vicinity who isn't
also sitting in a car. It's an appropriate audio track, right from the
semi-successful recent remake of Tron. It sounds more like an electric
hovering sound with no internal-combustion simulation at all, which was
unexpected and a pleasant surprise.
One basic driving fact about the Fisker Karma is that it is, at the very
least, the first upper-premium four-door purely electrically driven car
in this current electric tidal wave that we're living in. You could call
it a plug-in electric and leave it at that, but, like the Chevrolet
Volt, it's more interesting than that due to the range-extending engine.
Unlike the Volt, however, the Karma is a pure series EV – the ICE up
front does not in any way directly power the forward progress of the
driven axle.
The 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected GM Ecotec
four-cylinder engine is cradled in a front mid-engine layout, and it
powers the 175-kW generator while in Sport mode, which then pumps the
315-cell 606-pound lithium-ion battery pack full of kilowatt energy.
It's the 20-kW battery pack that finally feeds the two 201-hp, electric
motors placed fore and aft of the single-speed rear differential.
Combined, the whole works is good for a stonking 981 pound-feet of
torque. Thus spinneth the rear axle and hence the forward thrust. In
this Sport or, may we suggest, extended-range mode, top speed is let out
to 125 mph and acceleration to 60 mph now happens in just 5.9 seconds
whether we like it or not. We'll come back to that.
Claimed maximum range in Sport mode is 300 miles. The fuel tank for the
ER engine holds just 9.5 gallons, thus saving lots of sloshy pounds.
Claimed possible autonomy per gallon in this longest range mode is 100+
miles, because you'll definitely be recharging the batteries two or
three times overnight before you burn through all the liquid fuel.
Fisker predicts "people will stay in Stealth mode for over 80 percent of
the time they're driving." A noble forecast, O, Danish wise man.
There we were, still in Pomona, yes, and we had polished off two
spirited Stealth laps, grabbing the overly stylized steering wheel
through several tight curves. We already were blown away by the dynamics
of the all-new very stiff Karma chassis. Shall we risk a shower of
disbelief from commentators by saying the Karma is the best handling
large premium car in this entire segment? Why, yes, we shall. The
steering itself could always be more communicative for us, but here it
is still among the best of the biggies. The gaping wheelbase of the all-
aluminum chassis and large wheels attached had us wondering however
could this be, but it was so.
If there's a chink in the Karma's packaging, it's that luggage space
totals just 7.1 cubic feet. Suspension structure on all four corners is
by forged aluminum double-wishbone, while front dampers are
straightforward units and rear dampers are fancy self-leveling. This
arrangement takes the consequent dynamics of the 47/53 fore/aft weight
distribution to new heights. We were even shorting curves over the
rumble strips and sliding the tail around slightly whenever needed.
Certainly, the big Goodyear Eagle 1 tires helped a bunch – 255/35 WR22
(99W) front, 285/35 WR22 (102W) rear – as did the ironclad vented Brembo
performance brakes that stopped us consistently all day. We were hauling
butt and racing around in a battery-energized car and not complaining
about the cornering dynamics! Ka-loo ka-lay, wake the entire village!
We really appreciated the interior as well throughout all of this
action. Fisker is not immune to designing great premium sports car
interiors, and he's done a winning job of the grand tourer variety here.
The trim to get is the mid-range $103,900 EcoSport, as it includes all
the base EcoStandard abundance plus Scottish hides all around (sourced
from a self-sustaining establishment in the Scottish Highlands where
cows roam freely and are fed well until they are slain and skinned). The
final and top trim is the $108,900 EcoChic, which uses faux leathers of
the best quality so you can have nothing on your conscious food-chain-
wise. All woods seen are harvested from already fallen or sunken timbers
in the upper Midwest and feel very nice. If there's a chink in the
Karma's packaging, it's that luggage space totals just 7.1 cubic feet,
meaning that despite the car's generous footprint, you'd better ring
NetJet for longer trips.
We'll risk another pronouncement that leaves us open to thrown darts of
criticism. As good as Audi's MMI and BMW's latest iDrive interfaces may
be, they have a real competitor in the first-generation Visteon-Fisker
Command Center. The touchscreen is terrific work and handles its several
clever menus and graphics intuitively and attractively. If it only gets
better from here, Fisker may be in the onboard computer functionality
and interface business before long.
Oh, but wait, there's one big, sad note to report besides the one about
there being no right-hand-drive cars for people who still drive on the
wrong side of the road (all 70-plus countries of you). It has to do with
Sport mode as it is inserted with a pull of the left steering wheel
shift paddle. If we are switching to Sport while at a stop or at low
speeds prior to accelerating, it functions well enough. The Ecotec
ignites and the cabin gets a pretty decent new atmosphere with bass and
baritone notes, though the notes should still be lower so as to hide the
fact that it's a four-cylinder mill at our feet.
But then when we squish the throttle pedal to try and experience all the
promised added oomph of Sport, the range-extending engine chimes in
sonically wayyyyyy too much and with an unpleasant sound to boot. See,
the exhaust pipes exit right at the back of the molded composite front
fender panels mounted way down low, and there are the corresponding
nicely designed heat extractors, too. This is aesthetically beautiful,
to be sure, but functionally and packaging-wise, it's a real headache,
quite literally. With the 6,300-rpm max revs of the 2.0T motor revving
at will under throttle, the sound becomes completely uncharacteristic of
a $100,000 four-door anything. This, friends, must be addressed. Fisker
COO Koehler assured us that "we are aware of what you say and a new
muffler has been ordered that should solve the issue." We hope so.
The bottom line is that the Fisker Karma is a rolling dream machine for
anyone who wants something very different that works and drives
exceptionally well for any company's first go at it all. If Fisker
Automotive in SoCal and Valmet in Finland can just eliminate any hint of
this anomalous Sport racket, the car can and should be an unqualified
hit. There are 3,000-plus pre-orders of intent and deliveries are due to
begin in late May of this year. Full-scale production of 1,500 units per
month should be reached in October, they say, and in 2012, volume should
already be at its 15,000/year maximum, a total comprised of three Karma
body variants – the sedan, the convertible two-door Karma S, and a third
model to be revealed at this September's Frankfurt Motor Show.
We love you, Fontana! |
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