A bizarre delivery experience, disappearing safety features, and takeout tacos already mark the Ocean as one of the strangest cars we’ve ever encountered
My job is a great icebreaker: Whenever a stranger finds out I write about cars for Consumer Reports, there’s a good chance we’ll end up talking about all things automotive. That’s what happened back in 2019 when a friend of a friend asked for my opinion of the upcoming Fisker Ocean. The car wasn’t even close to hitting the market, but I already had a few thoughts. I told her that the concept looked good on paper—an all-electric compact SUV with 360 miles of range and a starting price of $38,900—but to be careful about buying from any startup brand, especially one whose founder already has one failed car company on his resume.
Five years later, my advice has largely been proven correct: Fisker announced that it is pausing production for six weeks “to align inventory levels and progress strategic and financing initiatives,” federal safety regulators are combing through a thick pile of owner complaints, and the Ocean sitting at our test track is still awaiting software updates before it evolves into its final form.
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