[UltraVol]

Just wondering exactly where the Ocean fits within the definition of a SUV size range or category. Is it a "small" or "medium" sized SUV? What defines "small" versus "medium," or, is it simply in the eye of the beholder? In my mind, I had always sort of placed the Ocean in the "medium" size category. Now, I'm not so sure. Opinions?

As an aside. My wife and I recently went to one of our local KIA dealerships after they called us to come over and take a look at some EV6s that had just arrived last month. We were initially interested in the EV6 because of it's sporty looks, decent range and performance, tech features, charging speeds, available options, etc., etc. However, once we saw it in person, it just looked so small in comparison to our present Nissan Murano SL which has a fairly good rear cargo area. Upon seeing the EV6, my wife and I both came to the same conclusion rather quickly that it would be virtually impossible to take the KIA on vacation with all of our requisite luggage, two sets of golf clubs, the dog and our son. We can barely make it in the Murano now with all the stuff we need/want to take along! The KIA salesman begged us to take a test drive of the EV6 and we declined and left rather disappointed in our experience. Now, I'm beginning to feel nervous that the Ocean's cargo space isn't going to be any more suitable for us than the EV6 would be??? Living in the eastern part of Tennessee (Knoxville) as I do, I doubt that we will ever get an opportunity to see...let alone drive...an Ocean prior to order commitment time. Somebody help...I'm having a sinking feeling! 😕

 

[Rotaryracer]

Just checked out the specs on the EV6, and it has a cargo capacity of 24.4 cu ft behind the rear seats and 50.2 cu ft with the rear seat folded down. Based on the dimensions provided in another thread, some quick math led to an estimated best case of 21.7 cu ft for the Ocean (behind the rear seats). Your Murano has 32.1 cu ft behind the rear seats and 67 cu ft with the rear seats down, so it will be smaller (at least in cargo capacity) than both the Murano and EV6.

 

[MTN Ranger]

I would consider it a compact SUV. The EPA class will be: "Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD". Compare Side-by-Side

 

[Bernie]

Just wondering exactly where the Ocean fits within the definition of a SUV size range or category. Is it a "small" or "medium" sized SUV? What defines "small" versus "medium," or, is it simply in the eye of the beholder? In my mind, I had always sort of placed the Ocean in the "medium" size category. Now, I'm not so sure. Opinions?

As an aside. My wife and I recently went to one of our local KIA dealerships after they called us to come over and take a look at some EV6s that had just arrived last month. We were initially interested in the EV6 because of it's sporty looks, decent range and performance, tech features, charging speeds, available options, etc., etc. However, once we saw it in person, it just looked so small in comparison to our present Nissan Murano SL which has a fairly good rear cargo area. Upon seeing the EV6, my wife and I both came to the same conclusion rather quickly that it would be virtually impossible to take the KIA on vacation with all of our requisite luggage, two sets of golf clubs, the dog and our son. We can barely make it in the Murano now with all the stuff we need/want to take along! The KIA salesman begged us to take a test drive of the EV6 and we declined and left rather disappointed in our experience. Now, I'm beginning to feel nervous that the Ocean's cargo space isn't going to be any more suitable for us than the EV6 would be??? Living in the eastern part of Tennessee (Knoxville) as I do, I doubt that we will ever get an opportunity to see...let alone drive...an Ocean prior to order commitment time. Somebody help...I'm having a sinking feeling! 😕

Hey friend, I'm actually in the same boat. I had a reservation on an Ioniq5 and had to cancel it (not before I took the AWD model for a rip though). The trunk space just wasn't big enough. We are coming from a Subaru Outback, and we put a long cargo box on top when we go camping. I'm a little concerned about the Ocean as well. Cargo area is 4 or 5 inches shorter than the Outback and the height is also a few inches less. That adds up fast. I'm hoping the boxy body shape of the Ocean will help it compare much better than Ioniq5.

Also, does anyone know if the ocean will take roof rails with the open sky roof? I think it will work still.

 

[UltraVol]

Just checked out the specs on the EV6, and it has a cargo capacity of 24.4 cu ft behind the rear seats and 50.2 cu ft with the rear seat folded down. Based on the dimensions provided in another thread, some quick math led to an estimated best case of 21.7 cu ft for the Ocean (behind the rear seats). Your Murano has 32.1 cu ft behind the rear seats and 67 cu ft with the rear seats down, so it will be smaller (at least in cargo capacity) than both the Murano and EV6.

Thanks Rotaryracer for that info on the EV6 and Murano cargo specs! You saved me some time and effort with your comparison. I was going to do the same exercise this morning but you beat me to it.

 

[UltraVol]

Thanks also to Ranger and Bernie for your feedback. I believe I heard Henrik say in an interview yesterday, or a few days ago, that a roof rack, or rails, or whatever he was calling them WOULD BE available for the Ocean. If that's the case, and if the design of the roof rack/rails will allow for mounting a cargo box on cross members of the rack, then that could go a long way in helping me to overcome the Ocean's lack of sufficient cargo capacity. Otherwise, in my case, I'd have to rent a larger vehicle to handle all of our luggage and other "stuff" whenever we go on vacations.

I was quite anxious to get more detailed information on the interior cargo capacity of the Ocean for this very reason I've described. Based on what I was seeing in photos the cargo area looked pretty large and ample. I was very disappointed to discover just how puny the actual space really was once the measured and verified space turned out to be so small. To me, the shape and design of the Ocean SUV would suggest good cargo space. I can only wonder why it didn't turn out to be more ample? I also wonder what's eating into the Ocean's rear cargo space when compared to other SUVs with comparable dimensions?

While I'm at it, I have another concern with the Ocean that is troubling me. I'm interested in the Ultra model with the sliding glass roof. Does anyone know if this type roof has a cover that can be shut whenever you don't want to let all of the hot sun rays into the cabin (ie. HOT summer days)? I had a Corvette with a glass roof and it was almost unusable during the summer because of the heat! On the other hand, I've had a Hyundai Santa Fe with a large glass roof which had an electric sliding cover which would effectively block the sun's rays when they were unwanted. This system was efficient, effective and worked very well which made the big glass roof most enjoyable option!

I understand that no car is perfect for everyone and I really, really like a lot of things about the Ocean. I'm hoping that I will be able to cope with the Ocean's shortcomings that I'm discovering as I gather more and more information about it. I'm hanging in there for now!

 

[bronco7777]

The Murano is a Midsize SUV. While the EV6 is technically a CUV. Actually the EV6 kinda blurs the lines in terms of segment classification because it's really a hatchback. More like a sedan with a moderate UV backside packaged in a futuristic design. The EV6 has the same wheelbase dimensions as a KIA Telluride which is why you get so much legroom in the back seat. It is also very low to the ground and it has a very wide profile even though the car is not very tall. That is why when you open the trunk hatch on the EV6 you have less space in terms of height to work with. That sloping roof and low stance is part of what makes the body design so appealing. The Ocean will have more of a boxier back end (Like a Range Rover) so you may gain slightly more room in terms of height. To me the Ocean most closely resembles a Range Rover Velar....but with a squattier, wider stance. The Velar resides within the Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle segment. But without having seen the Ocean firsthand it's hard to say. Fisker keeps touting how fast and how good the range performance will be within the segment but I've yet to hear him define exactly what that segment will be. In any case these newer generation EV's are doing a good job of providing some decent storage space in the trunk but it's hard to expect them to get too large at the moment as making large trunks/boots likely would affect the range. The Ocean is supposed to have roof racks but keep in mind that if you use these you will add more drag on the car as you drive; thus decreasing range efficiency.

 

[UltraVol]

The Murano is a Midsize SUV. While the EV6 is technically a CUV. Actually the EV6 kinda blurs the lines in terms of segment classification because it's really a hatchback. More like a sedan with a moderate UV backside packaged in a futuristic design. The EV6 has the same wheelbase dimensions as a KIA Telluride which is why you get so much legroom in the back seat. It is also very low to the ground and it has a very wide profile even though the car is not very tall. That is why when you open the trunk hatch on the EV6 you have less space in terms of height to work with. That sloping roof and low stance is part of what makes the body design so appealing. The Ocean will have more of a boxier back end (Like a Range Rover) so you may gain slightly more room in terms of height. To me the Ocean most closely resembles a Range Rover Velar....but with a squattier, wider stance. The Velar resides within the Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle segment. But without having seen the Ocean firsthand it's hard to say. Fisker keeps touting how fast and how good the range performance will be within the segment but I've yet to hear him define exactly what that segment will be. In any case these newer generation EV's are doing a good job of providing some decent storage space in the trunk but it's hard to expect them to get too large at the moment as making large trunks/boots likely would affect the range. The Ocean is supposed to have roof racks but keep in mind that if you use these you will add more drag on the car as you drive; thus decreasing range efficiency.

Thanks for your reply bronco. Your comments are well taken and correct. And yes, I thought about what a range killer a cargotainer on an EVs roof would be! Would definitely make a road trip more challenging!

 

[bronco7777]

While I'm at it, I have another concern with the Ocean that is troubling me. I'm interested in the Ultra model with the sliding glass roof. Does anyone know if this type roof has a cover that can be shut whenever you don't want to let all of the hot sun rays into the cabin (ie. HOT summer days)? I had a Corvette with a glass roof and it was almost unusable during the summer because of the heat! On the other hand, I've had a Hyundai Santa Fe with a large glass roof which had an electric sliding cover which would effectively block the sun's rays when they were unwanted. This system was efficient, effective and worked very well which made the big glass roof most enjoyable option!

I understand that no car is perfect for everyone and I really, really like a lot of things about the Ocean. I'm hoping that I will be able to cope with the Ocean's shortcomings that I'm discovering as I gather more and more information about it. I'm hanging in there for now!

That's a good question @UltraVol . In all the launch day videos for Fisker (both LA Auto show & Barcelona) we never see a sliding cover for the interior of the car. But then again all the cars they've shown have been prototypes where not everything is working or yet installed in the car. I have to believe that Fisker as a designer has an answer for this. Aftermarket products will likely appear with manual screens but I would expect a car at this level should have something built in for those blistering afternoons in July.

 

[UltraVol]

That's a good question @UltraVol . In all the launch day videos for Fisker (both LA Auto show & Barcelona) we never see a sliding cover for the interior of the car. But then again all the cars they've shown have been prototypes where not everything is working or yet installed in the car. I have to believe that Fisker as a designer has an answer for this. Aftermarket products will likely appear with manual screens but I would expect a car at this level should have something built in for those blistering afternoons in July.

Bronco, I certainly agree with your comment. These glass roofs have been around for quite a while now and I suppose I just took it for granted that they all had a "sun-shade" included to block the sun on those hot summer days. And yes, one would think that the Ocean would include some sort of shade system for heat control considering this feature rich vehicle has done a pretty good job of covering most needs and wants based on what we actually know so far.

 

[S7davis]

@UltraVol

Unfortunately their are not a lot of choices for a larger BEV SUV at this moment. Most of the ones coming out now are the smaller/cross over type. However, if you have the money to spend 60 - 80k then more options do open up.

As of right now only options are as follows:
Tesla
Jaguar
Audi
Rivian (I do believe the SUV start deliveries this year) Rivian - Electric Adventure Vehicles
Vinfast (US Deliveries start end of year) _With Battery rental or leasing program. VinFast

Smaller/Compact SUV are as follows:
Ford (Not sure if Mach E is more of a Crossover or regular SUV I think more of a Cross over)
Fisker
VW
Hyundai
Kia
Toyota (comes out this year)
Subaru (Comes out this year)
Nissan (I think deliveries in US start this year)

 

[UltraVol]

@UltraVol

Unfortunately their are not a lot of choices for a larger BEV SUV at this moment. Most of the ones coming out now are the smaller/cross over type. However, if you have the money to spend 60 - 80k then more options do open up.

As of right now only options are as follows:
Tesla
Jaguar
Audi
Rivian (I do believe the SUV start deliveries this year) Rivian - Electric Adventure Vehicles
Vinfast (US Deliveries start end of year) _With Battery rental or leasing program. VinFast

Smaller/Compact SUV are as follows:
Ford (Not sure if Mach E is more of a Crossover or regular SUV I think more of a Cross over)
Fisker
VW
Hyundai
Kia
Toyota (comes out this year)
Subaru (Comes out this year)
Nissan (I think deliveries in US start this year)

Thanks for your input S7davis. Your information is correct as I know and understand it. I've been studying the EV market for around a year now and have a pretty broad understanding of what the alternatives currently out there are...as you state. I'm always looking for something that fits my needs and wants the best. Right now, that looks like the Ocean. However, as you know, new vehicles are due to come into focus later this year. Some of the GM EVs look interesting...on paper anyway. It's going to be a long year of waiting and waiting!

 

[MTN Ranger]

It appears the Ocean will not have a factory built-in sunshade. The panoramic roofs are very common on EVs now, but few have sunshades built in. The ID4 and the Ioniq5 have them. My Model 3 has a panoramic roof and it doesn't have a cover. They have a factory accessory that stuffs into the window, but it's cheap and flimsy. In four years nobody has come out with a decent solution for it. So I'm guessing if the factory doesn't build it in, you are stuck with lackluster shade that is a pain in put in and take out. These glass roofs are UV coated and tinted. And honestly heat hasn't been a problem for me in almost four years of use. Some owners do get extra dark tinting applied.

As far as the lack of cargo. There are a number of reasons: 1) width, the Ocean is just not very wide compared to the competition, 2) shape of the car, it tapers above the shoulder line a lot, 3) it seems to be higher off the ground (witnessed by Bjorn Nyland's measurement of the loading height, 4) the large battery seems to be limiting the interior height - as seen by people sitting in the second row with low headroom. All these factors are shrinking the interior space and thus less room for cargo.

 

[182]

Some folks here are getting tied up in nomenclature without definition. There is no meaningful nor consistent definition or difference for SUV or CUV. We no longer use those terms and just use UV for all utility vehicles, which is anything generally taller than a car and has a liftgate/hatch instead of a trunk. Buick laughingly called the Encore an "SUV". The OEMs are far from consistent and will use whatever term most excites buyers, meaningful or not. Using traditional definitions, only body-on-frame vehicles such as a Jeep Wrangler or Cadillac Escalade/Ford Expedition, etc, as examples, are true SUVs, but only if one doesn't require lockable diffs as part of the definition. So, don't concern yourself about trying to parse out SUV vs CUV....it's meaningless among all these unitized body tall passenger vehicles. Simple outcome here is that the Ocean is turning out to be less spaciously packaged for cargo than some other "two box" designs (liftgate/no trunk vs "three box....distinct engine/passenger/trunk spaces). The comparable Ford Mach E or Genesis GV70 EV coming soon have more cargo room. If that is very important, you'll know where to go.

 

[Bernie]

To me, the shape and design of the Ocean SUV would suggest good cargo space. I can only wonder why it didn't turn out to be more ample? I also wonder what's eating into the Ocean's rear cargo space when compared to other SUVs with comparable dimensions?

I think the space is lost in 2 places. 1) There appears to be a ton of backseat leg room. 2) the floor is quite high in the cargo space.

I'm not sure why it's so high, perhaps the motor underneath requires that space. There is a decent looking amount of storage space under the cargo floor though.

I would be cautious getting wrapped up in the cargo capacity numbers, unless you know exactly how and what is measured. At least I think we saw a number of 20cuft/25cuft, being below the parcel shelf and then total cargo. Cars with just one number... I think they are total but I can't be sure.

 

[Daytime]

It is interesting in that all online references I have seen refer to the Ocean as mid size. I tend to agree as I compare it to my 2013 BMW X3 that was marketed as a mid size sport activity vehicle (SAV). Length: X3 183”, Ocean 188”. Height: X3 65.4”, Ocean 64.1”. As far as “boot” space, according to the Electrifying review, the Ocean to 2nd seat is 566 liters or 19.98 cu ft while my X3 it is 19.4 cu ft. For me, as a retired engineer, pretty much what I have been looking for as we drive less than 5,000 miles a year. The Sport, with LFP batteries (charge to 100%) as well as the V2H capabilities are big selling points in my mind. With a few options it will be perfect!

 

[Bernie]

I think for categorizing one should look at the exterior dimensions. It's very similar in size to a Ford edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, RR Velar, and of course Mach-E and Model Y. I can almost guarantee it has more passenger leg room than the X1 someone here has said has as much cargo space. The Ioniq5 rear space is very compromised by the rear hatch fastback design, I think the Ocean will benefit from being boxy. And as for max cargo space with seats folded flat, the 45cuft for the Ocean is well below other similar sized vehicles which makes me think either they measure differently (does the floor space in front of the back seat get measured?) Or something else is odd. It shouldn't be that vastly different, it's impossible based on external size. We have yet to see the Ocean with its seats folded flat though.

 

[MTN Ranger]

It is interesting in that all online references I have seen refer to the Ocean as mid size. I tend to agree as I compare it to my 2013 BMW X3 that was marketed as a mid size sport activity vehicle (SAV). Length: X3 183”, Ocean 188”. Height: X3 65.4”, Ocean 64.1”. As far as “boot” space, according to the Electrifying review, the Ocean to 2nd seat is 566 liters or 19.98 cu ft while my X3 it is 19.4 cu ft. For me, as a retired engineer, pretty much what I have been looking for as we drive less than 5,000 miles a year. The Sport, with LFP batteries (charge to 100%) as well as the V2H capabilities are big selling points in my mind. With a few options it will be perfect!

Current X3 are much larger than your 10 year old X3.. The X1 is similar to the old X3. Still, the X1 has a 31% larger cargo (59 vs 45) and the X3 has a 40% (63 vs 45) larger total cargo area.

It's normally accepted that the X1 is subcompact, X3 is compact, the X5 is midsize and X7 is full size.

 

[MTN Ranger]

I think for categorizing one should look at the exterior dimensions. It's very similar in size to a Ford edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, RR Velar, and of course Mach-E and Model Y. I can almost guarantee it has more passenger leg room than the X1 someone here has said has as much cargo space. The Ioniq5 rear space is very compromised by the rear hatch fastback design, I think the Ocean will benefit from being boxy. And as for max cargo space with seats folded flat, the 45cuft for the Ocean is well below other similar sized vehicles which makes me think either they measure differently (does the floor space in front of the back seat get measured?) Or something else is odd. It shouldn't be that vastly different, it's impossible based on external size. We have yet to see the Ocean with its seats folded flat though.

If you look at my post above, I explain why the Ocean most likely is poor with cargo.

I would wish the Ocean was as decent as the Ioniq 5 with cargo. I think you haven't seen actually how big it is. It beats everything but a Model X.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Impresses In Bjorn's Banana Box Test

The all-new Hyundai Ioniq 5 once again impresses - this time in Bjorn Nyland's humorous banana box test.

insideevs.com

 

[Baker]

Bronco, I certainly agree with your comment. These glass roofs have been around for quite a while now and I suppose I just took it for granted that they all had a "sun-shade" included to block the sun on those hot summer days. And yes, one would think that the Ocean would include some sort of shade system for heat control considering this feature rich vehicle has done a pretty good job of covering most needs and wants based on what we actually know so far.

As per Fisker the glass roof is tinted, no sliding panel.