2023 Fisker Ocean makes waves as $37,500 electric SUV

The Fisker Ocean promises something few other automakers have yet to accomplish: a luxury-leaning electric SUV that starts at less than $40,000. 

Unveiled in prototype form Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show, the first vehicle by the hometown electric car maker will start at $37,499 for the base Sport but will climb to about $70,000 in top trims. Fisker did not disclose which models will be available initially when production starts this time next year. The Chevy Bolt EV costs less, but it’s a stretch to call it an SUV anywhere except in the make-believe world of marketing. 

2023 Fisker Ocean

Sized like a Tesla Model Y at 188 inches long, 78.5 inches wide, and 64.1 inches tall, the Fisker Ocean seats five in a squat body with short overhangs and a blocky rear. Sold in Sport, Ultra, and Extreme trims, the Ocean comes with a 17.1-inch touchscreen, a fixed glass roof, 20-inch alloy wheels, and vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-home charging, which means it can act like a backup generator when charged. 

The base Sport comes with front-wheel drive via a single 275-hp electric motor with an EPA-estimated 250 miles of range. Fisker estimates that it can go 60 mph in 6.9 seconds. 

For $49,999, the Ocean Ultra adds dual-motor all-wheel drive that boosts output to 540 hp and has an estimated 340-mile range; it’s a world quicker too, with a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds. The Extreme is not that extreme,—or that much more extreme—increasing output to 550 hp, range to 350 miles, and a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds. The $68,999 Extreme models get a solar roof that could add 1,500 miles of range a year, according to Fisker’s estimates. Fisker did not disclose the capacities of the battery packs.

The first 5,000 orders will be a limited Ocean One based on the Extreme, but it will come with 22-inch wheels and a metallic Big Sur Blue paint as shown in the pictures in the gallery above. A $250 deposit is required to reserve an order and first deliveries are expected in late 2022.