Fisker Karma
Danish designer Henrik Fisker will have stylish new hybrid cars for sale in the U.S. and Europe early next year. Fisker has rethought the traditional model of an auto manufacturer and outsourced many fixed-cost operations. His $87,900 Fisker Karma is a 402-horsepower, 125-mile-per-hour car that, under ideal conditions, will go 50 miles without engaging the GM-supplied gasoline engine. After 50 miles the engine kicks in to replenish the electric charge; one might cover 100 miles using one gallon of gasoline, under certain specific conditions. The car also looks good enough to hold its own in Ferrari/Aston Martin territory.
The various components will be assembled by Valmet in Finland, a company that has assembled thousands of cars for Porsche. That answers any questions about quality.
In Northern California, Fiskers will be sold by three dealerships: one in Marin, one in Sunnyvale, and one in the Sacramento area.
Another example of new thinking comes from Aston Martin. Faced with the problem of meeting fuel economy standards, and mindful of not compromising its powerful high performance reputation, Aston has teamed up with Toyota.
Toyota will supply its clever city car, the I.Q. Aston Martin will give the car, to be dubbed the Cygnet, a traditional Aston grille and an opulent Aston leather interior, plus other, as yet undisclosed, high-style elements. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, says the concept is that of an exclusive tender for a luxury yacht.
Worthy, Interesting, and Under $30,000
Three very different and worthy new cars recently came our way. The Nissan 370Z is a two-seater, 332-horsepower, closed sports car, equivalent in most ways to a Porsche Cayman, but forty percent less expensive. If they are equally competent, the Porsche has to justify its premium price only with its charm.
Driving the Nissan reminds me of the 240Z introduced forty years ago, when Nissan (then called Datsun) set the sports car world back on its heels by redefining performance, style, reliability, and value. While this 370Z isn’t quite such an earthquake, it’s still quite a benchmark. The only thing objectionable is a very messy dashboard design; functional enough, but certainly not an aesthetic high point.
Going from sports car to station wagon, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI (diesel) is a totally satisfying and useful everyday car. At a recent journalists’ test day, I had the opportunity to drive forty new models from various
manufacturers.
The VW came first. I loved it and wondered if any of the other cars would outshine it. None did!
Its quality feel, quiet diesel economy, vigorous performance, and five-door-wagon practicality make its $29,000 price quite amazing. It’s going to be a strong player in the duel between hybrids and diesels.
Finally, the very middle-of-the-road Mazda 6, a four-door car competing with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Legacy, made a strong impression.
No one quality stands out; its seamless blend of clean design, ergonomic planning, practicality, and effortless performance will charm you.
The outside rearview mirrors include a flashing lighted image that appears when a car is in a parallel lane in your blind spot. If you actuate the turn signal indicating your intention to change lanes, a gentle beep sounds, in addition to the illuminated signal.
Our test car, loaded with leather, navigation, sunroof, and premium sound system, had a sticker price of $29,000. A little shopping and you might do even better.
A Sour Note
Consumer Reports was disappointed in the Honda Insight Hybrid, and a test drive will exemplify why. Although it drives very nicely, with a tight, firm feel and good road sense, and looks well tailored, it fails in two important ways. It’s a noisy, hard-riding thing, and looks and feels cheap—very un-Honda-like. You can expect trouble-free Honda performance and good economy, but there are more satisfying choices for the $23,000 price of this car.
Martin Swigis a former San Francisco new-car dealer who now presents the internationally-celebrated California Mille and other historic car events. As a free service to Gazette readers, he’ll offer suggestions on how to dispose of a cherished car. Call him at 415-479-9950.
