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2020 Karma Revero GT Road Test and Review

Scott Oldham
by Scott Oldham
August 19, 2019
5 min. Reading Time
2020 Karma Revero GT Blue Front Three Quarter ・  Photo by Karma Automotive

2020 Karma Revero GT Blue Front Three Quarter ・ Photo by Karma Automotive

Chances are you’ve never heard of Karma, or its plug-in hybrid sedan, the Revero. That’s OK. Most hybrid shoppers haven’t. Even most Tesladytes are in the dark when it comes to this sexy American-made sedan. But the 2020 Karma Revero GT is worth learning about.

Originally conceived by noted automotive designer Henrik Fisker as the Fisker Karma, the car made headlines when its sleek shape grabbed the attention of Hollywood A-list owners like Leonardo DeCaprio and Justin Beiber. When the company fell on hard times, it was purchased by one of China’s largest auto suppliers in 2014. It renamed the company Karma Automotive and its radically styled plug-in hybrid sedan — which it has been improving ever since — the Revero. The 2020 Karma Revero GT is the result. Although it’s based on Fisker’s original design, most of the Revero GT is new. It's not only better-looking than before, but it’s also significantly more powerful, more efficient, and more refined. Its competitors include the Tesla Model S, Porsche Panamera Hybrid, Aston Martin Rapide E, and hybrid sports cars like the BMW i8.

Prices start at about $135,000.

Karma’s U.S. headquarters is located in Irvine, California, but the 2020 Revero GT is built at the company’s new assembly plant in Riverside, about an hour's drive up the freeway. For now, the Revero GT is Karma’s only product, but it has promised a full EV model in 2021.

Prices start at about $135,000, and every Revero GT is a plug-in hybrid. Although the company has experimented with an all-wheel drive version, only rear-wheel drive is currently offered. This year all of the Karma’s body panels are new, including its doors. Fisker’s original “mustache” grille has been replaced and there’s a new longer hood. For a sleeker look, the C-pillars have also been extended into the decklid. Inside, Karma has improved quality and comfort by replacing the seats, center console, and infotainment system. There’s real wood on the dash and door panels, and most everything is covered in soft leather, including its thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel. The headliner and visors wear Alcantara. Because its battery pack runs down the center of the car there is no center-rear position, making the Revero GT is a four-seater.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Packs a Combined 536 Horsepower

Powering the 2020 Karma Revero GT is an all-new plug-in hybrid powertrain with a significantly lighter and more powerful 28-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt lithium-ion battery pack. It works with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine-generator sourced from BMW. It’s the same internal combustion engine that’s used in the BMW i8, and it’s much smoother, quieter, and more efficient that the General Motors-sourced four-cylinder it has replaced.

Total output is up from 403 hp to 536 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. At 80 miles, its EV range is up significantly as well. The Karma’s total range is 360 miles, which includes 280 miles of travel while its BMW engine is burning gasoline. Just as it does in the i8, the engine requires 91-octane fuel. The Revero’s EPA ratings are 70 MPGe and 23 combined mpg, which compare well to the ratings of the Porsche Panamera 4 Hybrid, which are 51 MPGe and 23 mpg combined.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Three Operating Modes

The hybrid system of the 2020 Karma Revero GT goes about its business so smoothly and seamlessly, most of the time you would never know it has two powertrains continuously working together to get you down the road. However, steering-wheel-mounted paddles do allow you to adjust its performance and driving characteristics.

There are three operating modes — Stealth, Sustain, and Sport — selected by the paddle on the left, while the paddle on the right allows you to choose among three levels of regenerative braking. In Stealth mode, the Revero GT is an EV, while its internal combustion engine is involved in Sustain and Sport. In Sustain mode, the engine joins the party at 25 mph, but its operation is so smooth you can’t hear it or feel it turn on or off and it never powers the car’s wheels directly. Instead, it turns the generator that powers up the batteries, which turn two rear-mounted electric motors that power the rear axle through a single-speed gearbox. Sport mode quickens throttle response and adds a bit of weight to the steering.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Comfortable and Refined

Like in a Porsche Panamera, which is about the same size as the Karma, you sit low in the Revero GT and peer over its shapely fenders and impossibly long hood. Its new seats are extremely comfortable, and forward visibility is not an issue despite its thick A-pillars. The Karma’s large side mirrors also keep the sedan’s limited rearward visibility from causing the driver stress.

Out on the road, we were impressed with the solidity of the Karma’s chassis and the smoothness of its ride. And there aren’t any squeaks or rattles — even in this early prototype, the car feels solid and substantial. With its massive tires, we expected more road noise and a rough ride, but the retuned suspension performs wonderfully, even over large potholes and highway expansion joints. This would be a very comfortable daily driver, and we also wouldn’t hesitate to drive the Revero GT from L.A. to Vegas.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Quick With Launch Control

According to Karma, the Revero GT can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds when you use its launch control system. It does pull hard off the line, compressing you in the seat as its BMW-sourced 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine/generator roars at a steady 6,000 rpm. There’s even a stopwatch on the Karma’s digital gauge cluster that times the run for you. Our best time according to the readout was 4.6 seconds. That’s quick, although an all-electric Tesla Model S will blow its doors off.

Porsche claims 4.4 seconds for the all-wheel drive Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, which was Karma’s dynamic benchmark for the Revero GT. And the company’s chief engineer says the Revero can hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds when its equipped with the optional carbon fiber spoked wheels, which are significantly lighter than its standard aluminum units.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Performs Like a Proper Sports Sedan

Karma’s engineers have also managed to shave about 400 lbs from the sedan, bringing it down to about 5,050 lbs. It’s still about 300 lbs more than the similarly sized Panamera, but lighter is always better, and the Revero GT is fun to drive. Floor the throttle in Sport mode and it responds much like it does in Launch mode, with a massive surge of power and sound from its BMW three-cylinder engine. And out on the highway, it showed impressive passing power.

Its high-speed stability and handling are also impressive. At 100 mph, the Revero GT stays composed and feels relaxed. Its top speed is limited to 125 mph because its electric motors just can’t turn any faster. In tight corners, there’s plenty of grip and steering feel as its four-wheel independent suspension stays flat. There’s excellent body control and its balance is superb, with 53 percent of the car's weight over its massive rear tires. Forged 21-inch aluminum wheels and Pirelli tires are standard, while our test car’s 22s and Goodyear Eagle F1s (sized 255/35R22 in front and 285/35R22 out back) are optional.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Small Back Seat and Trunk

Standard features include a power tilting and telescopic steering column, which is borrowed from the Chevrolet Corvette, a push-button shifter, and a new infotainment system with a sizable touch screen. The system does offer Apple CarPlay, and it has unique 3D sensitive steering wheel controls with haptic feedback. It’s an interesting interface that can still use a bit of refinement, while the Karma’s touchscreen menus are simple and intuitive. Other ergonomics are solid and include power window switches mounted on the console behind the shifter, two sizable cupholders, and four well-placed air conditioning vents.

The Revero's virtual gauge cluster is a bit busy, but the center-mounted digital speedometer is easy to read at a glance. Other instrumentation can be selected from dozens of options including simple analog-style tachometer so you know when the internal combustion engine is running. Fit and finish are way ahead of the company’s previous products but aren’t up to Porsche Panamera standards. Like in the Aston Martin Rapide, the Revero GT rear seat is tight for a car of this size. And its trunk is also surprisingly small, but don’t worry, your golf bag will fit.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive

Final Thoughts

When the Revero GT goes on sale in the fourth quarter of this year, it will prove that Karma is on the right track and that its engineers can tune an electrified powertrain, as well a suspension and chassis, with impressive results. The 2020 Karma Revero GT is luxurious, it performs well, and few plug-in hybrids are this fun to drive.

Its interior is also beautifully appointed and extremely comfortable. And this just may be the sexiest plug-in hybrid with four-doors on the planet. The Revero is seriously striking in the flesh. Karma plans to sell just 500 a year, so it’s also quite exclusive. Tesla is cranking out its widgets wholesale by comparison. If you’re looking for a luxury plug-in hybrid sedan, the new 2020 Karma Revero GT is a very compelling overall choice.

 Photo by Karma Automotive

Photo by Karma Automotive


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