You’ve probably read all sorts of negative reviews about the Fisker Ocean — the electric, Land Rover Evoque-ish-looking SUV by Henrik Fisker’s startup “Fisker Inc.” In December, Road & Track wrote that the “2024 Fisker Ocean EV Is Not Ready,” and more recently, YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee called the vehicle “the Worst Car [he’s] Ever Reviewed” But I just drove a production-spec model purchased by a private party, and you know what? It’s actually pretty good! Not perfect, of course, but really novel and cool and fun to drive. And I say that as someone who’s driven some of the best EVs out there.
When I watched the Fisker Ocean leave the delivery truck just outside of Galpin Ford, it was hard to keep an open mind. As beautiful as the blue, loaded-to-the-hilt vehicle looked as it backed down the ramp, I couldn’t get the headlines out of my head. You see, Fisker has been dragged through the mud for a while now, especially lately.
[Full Disclosure: Son of a bitch! Part of me wishes I had found the Fisker Ocean to be a steaming pile. Not only would this article have clicked for days, but you’d actually have believed me. Now I have to somehow convince you that this vehicle, which has clearly had some issues as many outlets have pointed out, and which was built by a company that Autopian cofounder Beau has a financial interest in, is actually good. But it is! It’s not a bottle fly, which is to say that it is nowhere near a steaming pile! -DT].
The latest headlines (including our own) are dire, with Fisker getting a noncompliance warning from the New York Stock Exchange due to the fledgling automaker’s stock trading at under $1 for 30 consecutive trading days. Plus there’s talk of layoffs and delays of future models:
Add to that all the syndication of that singular Marques Brownlee review, and it paints a rough picture of the brand.
And just today, CNN wrote one of the scariest headlines about the company: “EV maker Fisker says it may go out of business.”
So things are a bit rough at Fisker, which is why I wasn’t expecting much as the Ocean rolled into the Galpin Ford parking lot.
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But then I got up close, and I have to say: The Fisker Ocean feels special. And I know that’s a vague thing to say, but car buying is often an emotional decision, and that feeling that a vehicle has a little something different — a spark — is often what it takes to win someone over. The Fisker has that.
The Fisker Ocean Feels Special, In Part Due To Styling And Fun Features
Look at those wacky three-spoke wheels, and those turqouis calipers, and those ridiculously thin taillights, and those turn signals up on the D-pillar, and those pop-out door handles. Check out the aero features around the rear glass to get the airflow to “taper” as it separates from the car’s tail.
Up front, the Ocean has a bit of a gaping mouth, but I’m into it. I like the floating Fisker badge on the hood, and I really like the way the front end lights up at night:
Inside, the Ocean feels and looks cool. The understated split-suede (Alcantara) seats are cushy, the glass “SolarSky” power roof is odd but fun, the huge screen is high-res (but a bit slow), the tilted-up dual wireless charging pads are nifty, and most of the materials feel like they’re good quality.
(Quick Note: As much as I liked Beau’s black interior, I’d have preferred this available white one):
Plus, there are fun features that you don’t find elsewhere in the industry, like this tray that juts out of the dash just ahead of the passenger. You can see it just to the right of the big screen here, which is displaying a legitimately cool 360-view of the car:
And there’s even a tray for the driver:
Not to mention, that huge screen spins from vertical to horizontal, the rear seats have power recliners, and I could go on and on about the fun interior features, but it’s best to just show you this clip:
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I Enjoyed Driving The Ocean
I drove the Ocean about 100 miles in both stop-and-go and highway conditions, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Sure, sometimes I’d get some kind of collision warning fault (I’m still not entirely sure what that was), and I did wish I had a physical button to change radio stations, but I liked the the HVAC controls at the base of the screen, I liked the screen resolution itself, and more importantly I just liked the way the car drove.
The Ocean has three drive modes. There’s Earth:
There’s Fun:
And there’s Hyper:
Scrolling through those three drive modes is simple and intuitive; you just hit the inboard-most button on the right side of the steering wheel, and you’ll see the mode pop up in the elegant little screen that one can see perfectly between the left and right spokes of the steering wheel while driving straight. Here I am in “Fun” mode:
You don’t have to be in “Fun” to have fun, because all three modes let you blast the Ocean out of the hole with vigor. Obviously, Hyper mode really increases pedal sensitivity, but no matter what, the car will tear your face off if you rest the rightmost pedal against the floorboard. The “One” model that I was driving had the 468 horsepower dual-motor setup (564 when in “boost”) that promises zero to 60mph in about four seconds and a range of 360 miles (thanks to a 113 kWh battery).
I don’t think I ever used boost, and I was still thrilled by the car’s acceleration. I found the ride and overall NVH performance on the highway to be decent, the handing was not something I really tested too much given that this is a crossover but it was fine, the compact size made the vehicle a joy to navigate through tight LA streets, and overall I was just delighted by the car’s overall vibe.
The Ocean Isn’t Perfect
The car wasn’t perfect, for sure. I noticed a bit of a gap in the trim at the car’s beltline, and noted how easy it was to open that gap up (see above)
I also have to mention the sun visors, which may be the worst in the entire auto industry. They fold in half, and then lean forward, which is counter to what most folks are used to. That I don’t mind; what I do mind is the tiny mirror with a fabric flap that drops down and sits flat, and even worse is the fact that the mirror doesn’t telescope when it’s detached from the headliner trim. I had the sun beaming off the side of my head as I drove north on the 405; that’s such a silly problem to have in a $70,000+ machine. (Note: I drove the highest “One” trim. Some Oceans can be had for about $40,000-ish, though with less range and front-wheel drive. -DT].
The Ocean also has a bit of a storage problem, too. There’s no frunk, there’s no glovebox [Update: Actually, there are two under the front seats, though they’re small and hard to see into. -DT], and the center console has two issues: 1. There’s a tray constantly taking up space inside. And 2. It’s been trimmed in order to give the rear center passenger more legroom, resulting in a very shallow bin:
To be sure, there’s good storage at the back of the car, but as a front passenger, where do I put all my stuff? I have the pockets in the doors, a tiny bit of space in the center console, and that’s it.
There is that storage space under the wireless chargers, so this isn’t that big of an issue. I’d just like a little more closable, easily-accessible storage, as I find it always helps to really clean up a cabin.
I also had issues with the key fob, which should be the easiest thing to get to work given that the technology is from the 1980s, but alas, the car sometimes struggled to lock and unlock. [Ed Note: I’m told you have to wait a few seconds after clicking “unlock” for the car to “wake up,” after which you can click the unlock button. Or you can use the fob as NFC over the door handle and it’ll open right up. -DT].
I Like The Fisker Ocean
I only spent a few hours behind the wheel of the Ocean, and there were a few issues related to the advanced driver-assist features, the screen was a little slow, there were some fit and finish issues, the fob needs work, I wish the car had more storage, and the visors are pathetic.
But many of these are teething issues, and plenty can likely be fixed over-the-air. What’s most important is that Fisker not only seems to have the fundamentals down, but the brand has built a car that stands out — it feels special, and that’s a difficult thing to pull off. Would I drive an Ocean everyday? Absolutely. It’s comfortable, it feels cutting-edge, it’s beautifully designed, and it’s just the right size. (And I’m not the only one who thinks that. InsideEVs’ story “Fisker Ocean Owners Love The Cars. Just Not The Bugs” talks about how much owners like the car. Reddit threads like this one make clear that there are plenty of fans. And my friend Kristen Lee from Motor Trend seems to agree with many of my above thoughts). Obviously, I can’t really make a full assessment until I’ve driven the car for a long while and experienced all the bugs folks are seeing, but based on what I experienced, the car makes me excited for what Fisker plans to build next, though based on current news, it’s possible they’re not going to get that chance.
After having driven the Ocean, I can say with sincerity: That would be a shame.
The only thing I hate about it from the get-go is the LED headlights. Screw LED headlights!!! They blind everyone else on the road, making night driving more dangerous for everyone, and should be banned.
Um no, they just need to be aimed correctly and the North American regs improved to clamp down on light scatter and proper beam pattern.
White/blue LEDs are worse for your night vision than older style yellow-tinted headlights. Proper aim isn’t going to fix the problem, they’re still too darn bright when they’re shining all around you.
But does it smell like the Beach?
No. Just washed up shell company.
I was ready and willing to like this until I saw that big ass central screen. This trend has to die, and soon.
It won’t.
I hate that you may be right.
I’m growing to appreciate that mine and DT’s aesthetic sensibilities are very different. That’s good! It’s nice to have some to put words to the opposite of what you feel, provide contrast and depth where otherwise I might have written something off outright.
That said, the trim is falling off or was never attached in the first place. The sensors are busted. Everything seems wrong with this; it’s barely a beta vehicle and they should be ashamed to have shipped this. “Soul” only gets you so much runway, and this thing is well off the tarmac and into the woods beyond.
It’s about one step above asking you for the $70k in a shoebox and shouting “no taksie backsies!” the instant you give up the cash.
I don’t understand how a bunch of suede seats and a large screen can make something “upscale”. My dog would destroy the suede permanently after one visit, and the less-is-more screen thing makes me hate all new cars. I like to be able to reach out without looking to adjust climate, volume and other things. I guess I’m just old. I’ll keep buying analog vehicles.
I saw one near San Francisco a few months back, in the same blue. They’re really pretty IRL. I hope Fisker sticks around.
I like that the Ocean has fun styling and the rotating center screen is clever and probably useful (although why I want to see an external view of the front of my car in a normal driving situation – not parking or offroad – is a mystery). But if Fisker wants me to spend 70 grand on a beta release, give it to me free and I’ll leave a nice Yelp/Amazon review in return. Otherwise, good business practice would be to fix the design/assembly issues before the car leaves the factory, and ship it when it’s ready.
Look at David’s photo of the rear compartment floor: what’s up with the upholstery on the edge of the driver’s seat? Did someone just stuff it in there and say “Yep, it’s fine to ship!”? If the stuff in plain sight is sketchy in a new $70K car, what about the stuff I can’t see?
And I have to mention a personal show-stopper: from the white interior photo it sure looks like I have to use the effing infotainment screen to adjust the interior air vents/air flow. This is deeply stupid, adding unnecessary complexity and expense while making the experience worse. As Steve Jobs famously said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
I am literally reading a story right now that they are BK?
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/01/business/ev-maker-fisker-says-it-may-go-out-of-business/index.html
Replying to myself but wanted to add context. Not BK but doesn’t seem like a model I’d invest in now. I’ve owned EVs as Dads since 2016 and love them. But tech needs to catch up with hype.
They will need more capital / $ to last more than about 12 months from now, without it outlook not looking good…
Yeah, my initial info (from someone with sources) was that they were cooked, like now. Go figure, I commented before reading through that there is still a (short) runway for Fisker. Agree that “ not good” is a better summation. And why does daily driver (DD) apparently autocorrect to “dads”?
I’ve never heard of Marques Brownlee, but I do know You Tubers love to crap on stuff, because in the world we live in, trash talk gets clicks and shares much more easily than positive content. Worst car he’s ever reviewed? I’m highly skeptical of the relevance of his claim. Maybe he simply hasn’t reviewed many cars. Has he driven a Vinfast?
He’s an early YouTuber. Doesn’t mean he’s right, just that he has a podium and huge reach. I hope this isn’t a hit piece funded by Elon or something.
He’s been pretty big for years, but more as a gadget reviewer. The offshoot car review channel is relatively new.
I think it’s sweet. And just like any innovation, such as the iPhone back in the day, someone has to be first to give this stuff a try…”those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” I think it’s funky, neat, and unique. And if one has the cash, why not? I give it 5 stars.
What is Fisker doing first here? They’re not even the first to try to sell a 70k EV with giant, glaring build and software quality issues – Tesla beat them to that.
I was only able to sit in one at the auto show for like 30 seconds, which isn’t really enough to get a proper impression, but materials seemed roughly Tesla-grade, which I guess is reasonable for a Model Y competitor, but seemed hard to stomach at the ~$90k CAD they were asking for the display model (much more reasonable at $50ish k before incentives).
I sat in one in a showroom and it felt way better than a Tesla 3 or Y. Much nicer interior overall, and a much more interesting car.
Apple should hoover up Fisker and Rivian to resurrect their vehicle program.
I feel pretty confident in saying that ain’t gonna happen.
On the other hand, maybe Vinfast can grab them and have an order of magnitude improvement in quality!
Not a bad idea…
Apples public position is that they couldn’t have a big enough mark-up to make the car biz worth their while/resources. They are gonna go all in on AI. Makes sense.
I finally noticed one. Boring black, so my brain initially matched “Range Rover”—as 9 out of 10 RRs are black—until I realized it was a bit different and noticed the rear, then it was gone because it was traveling on the other side of the highway. I need to see one closer up, but with the potential issues and gambling that the company will survive, what’s going to keep people buying them when Range Rover starts selling EVs in a couple years?
Even if current quality control issues remain, do you think they’ll be any worse than an entire car chock full o’ the finest of British electrical design and componentry?
No offense, goth uncle A. (which should have been the name of one of Bertie Wooster’s relatives, opposite end of London notwithstanding), but you know where I’m coming from, and they do look lovely.
No, I think they might be similar, but Range Rover is far more likely to still be around and they’ve produced far more of them for parts vehicles and to provide an incentive for aftermarket parts companies to make spares if they die.
Good point. Maybe SAIC could buy them up and assemble them poorly in China as Nuffields or something.
Leyland Marina? Keeps the nautical theme and easy to swap round badge.
Do I think this thing looks great and contains some very interesting ideas? You bet! There’s also never been any doubt that Henrik Fisker can design the hell out of a car.
…but would I trust one of his products? Hell to the no. He’s a snake oil salesman at best and a conman at worst. This entire operation looked like a scam from day 1 and it’s looking more like it by the day. Their stock is plummeting and they just came out and said they likely won’t make it another year.
He also made his wife CFO lmao. I’m sure there are no financial shenanigans afoot there! No sir. May I interest you in a $70,000 beta product?!
I’m just going to say it, I think it is a conflict of interest for D.T. to review an automobile maker in which his employer, Beau, has a vested interest in.
All other reviews for this vehicle that have been published online tell a different tale than D.T.’s.
I think it’s a fair thing to bring up, fwiw. At the very least, it should be disclosed.
He did disclose it, right at the top of the article.
My bad, missed that.
Yeah – the guy said it was really the software that was the issue. Seems like vicious clickbait to me, and I have no love of Henrik Fisker.
Yeah, but in Marques’ defense, he’s a tech journalist, so he’s ALL ABOUT the software stuff.
I’m a MechE, so I care more about the hardware and the integration of the mechanical systems and ultimately the drivability.
$70K!
Starts at $40K
I’m not very good at understanding what makes people not like a certain interior, and I must be able to withstand sup-par cabins which other people can’t stomach. My wife tells me something has to be REALLY bad before I say it is, and this is… awful…
That’s a pretty stark-looking interior for $70k. And I dislike the tacked on screen look in any car, rotatable or not. Loose trim pieces won’t be solved over the air. The gauge cluster looks spartan. Random collision warnings would get annoying fast, leading me to ignore them. Along with the other problems you mention, it’s no surprise they’re going under soon.
Fisker is drowning in debt and it’s stock is under water. They may be able to float along for a while but the electric car business is sink or swim these days. The Fisker is just a drop in the ocean of expensive BEV’s currently available.
Fisker has a lot of R&D and existing products, it’s much more likely that if it doesn’t get an investor bailout (which could definitely still happen), it gets acquired by something like a Chinese company.
They seem to be in negotiations with nissan – who knows. But I don’t think there would be any interest from the Chinese, they’re pretty far along and have much better tech, to be interested in this low volume stuff.
A takeover by a company with extensive experience in quality manufacturing – even one whose experience is in the distant past, like Nissan (rogue Rogues sur les plages de Floride, la bite américaine notwithstanding) – would be exactly the thing that needs to happen.
Maybe GM could buy Fisker, if only to figure out how to build a fast, comfortable EV with good range, and to have a fit and finish goal for their own cars to attempt to achieve.
That went poorly with Saab.
> la bite américaine
It’s sadly true
Your salty comment dredged the depths of metaphor to declare the Ocean a sunk cost.
Apparently they couldn’t catch the EV wave.
The timing on this is impeccable
sorry, I can’t see the car for the glare off those screens …
(especially inexcusable on the primary driving display)
I get that it’s a new car from a new company and all that but 70k and having those issues is unacceptable. I didn’t have high hopes when Fisker came back and I would like them to succeed but unfortunately I don’t think they’ll get a chance to fix these issues with a future version.
I found the issues to be fine overall. Not totally out of line for many new EVs.
I get that early adopters have to deal with growing pains but that’s unacceptable from any manufacturer. I’ll keep waiting for a more affordable EV with these issues sorted out. I’m not holding my breath though. I just wish everyone would go PHEV first and make the transition more manageable while they work out the kinks with EVs
I don’t know why we keep calling PHEVs a “transition” technology. It should be the end-game.
For many Americans, it’s literally the cleaner option.
(Sorry, I realize this is largely irrelevant to the topic at hand!).
No need to apologize. I’d prefer if we stopped at PHEV but unfortunately that’s not how things are looking. It’s more affordable and more importantly those with range anxiety can be reassured that they won’t get stranded. Plus you don’t need as many batteries so you use less resources. But what do I know, I’m just a black sheep commenting on the interwebs.
No no, I think the cynicism in that reply is warranted.
It’s often not logic that prevails when it comes to federal mandates.
4xE
People give the GRZ interior shit because it uses some cheap materials, but I paid less than I would have for the cheapest unmarked-up Civic hatch with a stick that I could theoretically get and a fancy interior isn’t the car’s priority like it would be for a premium CUV, yet nothing’s poorly put together and nothing’s broken or fallen off (as expected, of course).
“I’m not holding my breath though.”
But if you got into an Ocean, you probably should hold your breath…
:-p
I groaned so hard at this but also laughed. Well done
I think the theme is software is hard. It probably take a few iterations for the car to be usable. But the clock is ticking and financial backers (I think it includes his wife’s family) + press are getting restless.
I wonder what would happen if Fisker folds and David get to review one for his Tuesday trade in reviews, would it just sit and not move?
Also news flash: Fisker + Nissan? https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nissan-fisker-advanced-talks-investment-partnership-sources-2024-03-01/
It feels like one of those vehicles that was designed rather than engineered which I might say is a repeating theme for Mr. Fisker. It leaves an impression that he get’s close, but never actually crosses the finish line.
“Designed rather than engineered”… that’s a really good way to put it. I really want to like Fisker’s cars, because I think he’s a fantastic designer. Just look at the Z8, the V8 Vantage, hell, even that Karma disaster looked cool. Well, maybe not “cool” exactly, but it had presence, especially in person. I also happen to think the Ocean is a pretty lovely thing, but it seems like it’s going to be a basket case just like the Karma was.
Karma was jaw dropping in person. I saw an auto hauler of Oceans in NC a few months ago, again look even better in person.
I’ve seen three Karmas, one regularly on the road during my commute, and one was parked nearby when they were very new, and another was at a local used car lot.
To me, the Karma is Henrik Fisker’s worst design by far. The whole thing screamed “trying too hard!” It’s too much like a 4 door C3 Corvette with a mustache grille.
Yep, the design and proportions of that thing in person were just unreal. It reminded me of the concept cars I used to see in magazines as a kid in the 80’s/90’s.
Yeah, he should have stuck with coach building already engineered German cars.