The Fisker Ocean is relatively new to the market but not so new that it should still be delivered with incomplete software. First deliveries of the Ocean in the U.S. started back in June of 2023, so surely Fisker has had ample time to figure out any software bugs and apply fixes, right?
Well, the answer to that is both yes and no. Fisker has sent out some OTA updates to the Ocean but not everything has been sorted out yet in regards to Ocean software problems and that's what convinced Marques Brownlee to call the Ocean the "worst car he's ever reviewed."
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Incomplete software leads to a "worst car ever" statement from MKBHD.
Delivering cars to customers with software that is not ready isn't advisable. In this instance, MKBHD drove an Ocean with incomplete software and declared it the "worst car he's ever reviewed." Probably not something the higher-ups at Fisker wanted to hear.
Before talking more about the software issues, we should point out that MKBHD actually praises the Ocean. He says it looks darn good and notes that the seats are very comfortable, as well as pointing out that rear seat space beats all of its direct competitors. He seems to want to love the car but in steps those software problems.
MKBHD notes that he got this Ocean from a Mitsubishi dealer because Fisker wouldn't provide him with one in the timeframe that he wanted to review it. Fisker learned about this and urged MKBHD not to review the car because it didn't have the upcoming software update 2.0. However, MKBHD proceeded with the review because Oceans are being delivered to buyers without the 2.0 update so he wanted to review what buyers actually received. Seems fair and honest to us.
Some issues that MKBHD points out are a keyfob that seems to work when it wants to and an improperly calibrated automatic hill hold, which means the car can roll backward if you release the brake pedal. Additionally, California mode doesn't work right (the rearmost side windows don't go down as they are supposed to). The solar roof's output can't be monitored, so you have no idea if it's doing anything. Drive modes are buggy. Various different warning lights come on each time he starts the car.
On the non-software side, MKBHD knocks the Ocean for its lack of a glovebox and a weird tray table that takes up a lot of the center console. Controls on the steering wheel often get mistakenly touched when driving due to the placement. Many controls are not labeled, so it's difficult to figure out how to operate various features.
The list of issues continues, but we'll end there for now. MKBHD concludes with this statement:
You could give me this car and I wouldn't want to drive it
A free car, yet still he wouldn't drive it.
In Fisker's defense, most of the issues are supposed to be resolved in the upcoming update. The Ocean OS 2.0 update contains a huge list of changes, which we've listed below:
Features
- Revised Front / Rear Torque split
- Automatic Vehicle Hold
- SolarSky upgrade
- Trailer Sway Mitigation
- Brake Disc Wiping
- Standby Time controls
- Driver Profiles
Performance improvements
- Improved energy management and power retention
- Reduction in state of charge (SoC) loss while parked
- Calibration changes in cabin heating and cooling to improve defogging
- Improved heating/cooling performance in Earth Mode
- OTA updates able to be installed while vehicle is plugged in (note: charging pauses during software update).
- Revised audio tuning for improved bass response on Extreme/One
- Key fob performance enhancements, to improve response
- Improved accuracy in trip metering
- Improved accuracy in energy consumption metering
