Fisker Karma | First Drive

Fight Global Warming in Style
Spend 5 minutes looking at the car and it is evident that this is a product of a designer. It is one of those cars that barely changed from concept design to final production. It’s got strong lines running along the long hood of the 4 door coupé, muscular looking fenders that bulge out the side and massive 22 inch wheels that would make Lil Wayne jealous. With the Z8 inspired nose and the Aston inspired body style, the Fisker Karma definitely makes its presence felt.

This car rides on green credentials, starting from the paint that uses crushed recycled glass instead of metal flakes to add glitter, to the wood trim in the car that is lacquer free and only from trees destroyed in Forest fires. As with any luxury car brand, the interior is a very nice place to be. Fisker claim the Ireland sourced leather is the best leather that can be had.  An animal free interior (sans leather) is an option too. The roof has a solar panel on it that can generate enough energy to power your iPod, interior lights and the likes. While parked, the solar panel powers the fans in the car to circulate the inside air to ensure your bottom does not have to rest on hot leather

 Get into the car and press the engine start button and you are greeted with…..silence. The car switches on in electric mode with absolutely no sound making it feel like a library. On full charge, the Karma can go up to 80kms without using any precious fossil fuel. However, the Fisker Karma is slightly different to other electric cars and hybrids in that it has a Ford acquired 2.0 Litre petrol engine that does not power the car but acts as a generator to top up the batteries instead. The car is powered by the 2 electric motors in the back capable of 403bhp and 951 lb-ft of torque. This type of setup ensures you don’t suffer 'range anxiety'. The petrol engine makes sure you can comfortably reach your charging station to load up on volts.

In ‘Stealth’ mode the car runs purely on battery power with the only audible sound being a UFO like exhaust note inspired by Hollywood, playing through the speakers placed on the outside. There is no concept of a gearbox here. Floor the (not so loud) pedal and all 403 e-horses will pull you to the 100kph mark in less than 6 seconds. There is no kickback from switching to a lower gear or an upshift for that matter. The power is constant, starting from 0 all the way to the claimed top speed of 200kph. It feels strange. Very strange. Tap the left paddle and the 2.0L force fed petrol engine fires up engaging sport mode. The dials turn red and you can finally hear a traditional engine under the hood. A not so good sounding engine though. The suspension is nicely sprung and the ride is very comfortable with little compromise to the handling. The car was designed to be a GT and it feels and drives like one. Everything about the car says GT. Except for the driver space which felt a little cramped due to the centre console running all the way from the dash to the back of the car. Rear passenger space is further limited by the sloping roof, a problem common with most 4 door coupés.

The Fisker Karma is not a driver’s car. It is a car for an individual that is concerned about offsetting the carbon footprint of an entire industrial town in China. In bespoke style of course. It has attempted to rewrite automotive manufacturing. It has its shortcomings and it will be a while before it finally catches on and is perfected, but it is a fantastic first attempt. It wins at being a beautiful piece of art and a great example of engineering. It fails at winning the hearts of petrolheads though. Maybe it could give birth to a new generation of Watt-heads, sounds apt for the internet generation?

Land Rover introduces first 9-speed automatic gear box

Land Rover has announced that it’ll use the Evoque to debut ZF’s new nine-speed transmission, known as the 9HP. It’ll replace the six-speed automatic that was previously available as an option on most Evoque models.

The 9HP will feature a plethora of technological wizardry which, Land Rover says, will improve the automatic version of the Evoque considerably. More gears, it says, mean smaller steps between the ratios, resulting in improved response – ZF claims that the new gearbox’s changes are “below the threshold of perception” – as well as shift quality and refinement. There’s also a higher top gear that reduces fuel consumption as well as noise.

Nevertheless, Land Rover says that the 9HP is “extremely robust”, and as such that it “perfectly complements Land Rover’s rugged all-terrain ability”. As you’d expect, it’s also being touted as offering a “significant improvement in fuel economy and a corresponsding reduction in CO2 emissions.”

All of which sounds just marvellous. But there is of course, just one issue we have with it. And we reckon you’ve probably guessed what it is by now. Nine ratios? Really? Seven seemed quite a few when Mercedes debuted the 7G-Tronic back in 2003; eight seemed a little excessive with ZF’s last effort, as good as it is. Nine... well, it could be a case of 'the more, the merrier', and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but we can’t help but wonder where it’ll stop. Will we end up with a 20-speed by 2020?

Top 5 Mercedes C63 AMG Tuning Jobs

A range of comprehensive tuning packages for the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG are on the market. Here’s a look at some of the best.

As one of the tuning community's most popular cars, there are plenty of Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG aftermarket packages available for those that want to restyle their rides or give them an added injection of power and pace. AMG's 6.3-liter V8 is no slouch, mind you, and with 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque at its disposal, the high-performance coupe can sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. But there will always be drivers out there wanting to join the 500-hp club, and that's where tuning firms come in.

Italian tuner Romeo Ferraris is synonymous with tuning packages for Abarth and Alfa Romeo, but once turned its hand to the C63 AMG, dubbing the project WhiteStorm. The exterior has been given a matte white finish, while other enhancements include a carbon fiber roof and trunk lid lip, black fog light surrounds, a black grille, black diffuser and a set of 5-spoke design black AMG alloy wheels. The cabin has been fitted with red leather seating. Romeo Ferraris also altered the ECU, which, combined with the sports-tuned exhaust, provides an additional 79 horsepower over the standard car

HMS Tuning offers a range of performance packages for C63 AMG, made up of a modified ECU, sports filter, Y-Pipes with sports catalytics, a performance valve exhaust system and three supercharger kits, the most potent of which increases power to 690 hp and 646 lb-ft of torque. The body kit for the C63 AMG consists of a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, rear fin, a front bumper in either carbon-fiber or fiberglass with LED daytime running lights, and rear fender flares. 19-inch bi-colored 5-spoke alloys, brake upgrades and a KW Clubsport Coilover suspension complete the tuning kit. If you want the entire list of upgrades, it will cost in the region of €50,000.

German tuning firm Edo Competition took a C63 AMG Wagon, and by adding a new exhaust system complete with headers and high-flow catalytic converters, high performance air filters and an ECU revamp, upped output to 600 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. Top speed is now measured at over 211 mph thanks to a speed-limiter override. Edo's interior for the Mercedes C63 AMG Wagon is fully-customizable and can be lavished in carbon fiber, Alcantara and leather. The exterior features a body wrap wrap and a set of ridiculously aggressive multi-piece 19-inch wheels.

California-based tuning company Vorsteiner created a body kit for the German coupe made entirely out of carbon fiber in order to keep the weight down while adding plenty of style. The kit includes a front add-on lower spoiler, badgeless front grille and front fender grille covers, front vent louver covers, side skirts, trunk-lid with integrated spoiler wing and diffuser. It sits on a set of either 19- or 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, blacked out for a stunning contrast with its white exterior finish. Vorsteiner subtly influenced the interior, adding bespoke floor and trunk mats available in a wide variety of colors. An optional titanium or stainless sport exhaust system completes the kit.

Wheelsandmore introduced a tuning package dubbed the 5.7 Edition Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG adding power and slick styling. Designed to give the coupe a racing-car feel, it features an adjustable coilover suspension, special 4-in-1 manifolds, sport air filters, stainless-steel exhaust system, and 20-inch blacked-out 6Sporz forged alloys. Total power output has been measured at 570 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque, creating a new top speed just shy of 200 mph