No. No. NO. It’s stupid. That’s not a car. Fuck off. I hate it, and I hate that I kinda enjoyed it briefly. (*edit* no don’t lie to yourself – Justin)

It’s Bike Week 2023 here in the great city of Daytona Beach, Florida (at least at the time of writing)! Which for someone who enjoys bikes but doesn’t ride and still prefers 4 wheels to 2 at the moment, that usually means a lotta traffic caused by big bubba hoss and his posse cranking their mthfin’ hawgs at some poor Daytona State girl trying to cross Intl. Speedway Blvd. But this time, I joined my friends on two wheels and went to do some demo rides!

At least I tried. Triumph said no to passengers, so I guess I’ll have to wait before I know what a Rocket 3 feels like (it has a 2.5L i3, the cylinders are larger than my EJ257). Later that day, we found something we could all mess with: test drives of the Polaris Slingshot.

I’m gonna be blunt with y’all, I don’t really like these things. I dislike the styling, I think making it a weird 3 wheeler vs a cheapified KTM X-bow is a missed opportunity (tho I get why three wheels). I find culture of hanging speakers off these and slapping forgiato rims stupid (though if that’s your thing, keep at it! Jackasses like me will always complain, and I write better pissed off). And the types of people I tend to see should’ve just bought a Miata or used corvette to scratch that convertible itch, however the weight of their ego would probably blow a strut in an MX5. Not that anyone would see past the shininess of their balding head.

So yeah, I’m not too fond of these dumb little toys, but I’ve had a burning curiosity to drive one for the longest time. I like getting proved wrong, and all the cars I’ve owned are ones that did exactly that to me. Maybe a drive in a manual slingshot would allow me to understand these three wheeled rubber tubs better.

I’m not gonna talk more about the styling. It looks like what one of the racist (specifically) transformers from the Michael Bay franchise would transform into. KTM bulls off the angular/aggressive look better.

I drove both an SL model and a “Roush” edition (yes that Roush apparently). The SL had 178 hp, the Roush had 203 hp. Let’s start with the common points:

So getting into one is a bit of a process. You can hop over the sill and into the seat, but depending on how far forward the seat is, determines how much space you have to swing your ass in. It’s worse on exit. Once in, it feels like a UTV. Weather proofed rubber, plastic, and cloth adorn every inch of the interior. There is an infotainment system. It’s easy to read and not that obtuse to figure out. The car has two modes: “Comfort” and “Slingshot”. Comfort changes the engine tuning and apparently the shift points(?). I kept it in “Slingshot” mode, because I’m ready to slingshit and drive.

The steering was light and oddly communicative. And it was kinda stable at higher speed corners. You do get a pretty vague feel from the rear end however. The single rear wheel isn’t something you’re exactly noticing; it doesn’t feel like it wants to tip over. However there are times when the lack of rear end becomes more pronounced.

Cornering isn’t really terrifying but the rear doesn’t communicate well to you. It doesn’t slosh around but it is the same kinda of vagueness that a normal car that’s 20 years old with ruined struts and old bushings gives you. Both trims need you to kinda just trust that there’s grip through a corner. And out of low speed corners, there is a lack of traction that you will find out about rather quickly.

The clutch in both cars was fairly light and a little mushy. The shifter felt fine, although the throw is too light. The actual engagement into gear feels notchy in a good way. The knob sits well in your hand, though it isn’t the best thing to use. The transmission will make a fair bit of noise at lower RPM. To me, I don’t mind it, reminds me of a sequential race transmission, to almost everyone else it’ll be annoying.

Under braking from higher speeds, the rear tire becomes loose and the vehicle oscillates a little. The brakes on the SL went almost to the floor before doing anything. The Roush with its brembo’s engaged at the top of the pedal but didn’t really have a huge difference in stopping performance. Maybe this is down to them being demo cars.

The Roush’s differences compared to the SL are mostly cosmetic. The front fascia is slightly different, the hood had louvers to “reduce under hood and wheel well pressure”, the vehicle was white with red accents, it had a “rollcage” with a cloth roof, new gauges, different wheels, and has a lot of Roush trimming and decals. The layout and look inside is pretty much identical and still feels like a UTV made into a roadster. Performance wise, the Roush had the aforementioned Brembos, a 305 wide rear tire, and 203 wild horses.

So what does all this add really?

The Roush’s extra rear rubber may help to keep the car stable under acceleration, however it still suffered from the same vagueness the SL has. The roof provided some shade, but oddly enough detracted from the experience the SL offered, which I think was the most fun aspect of the “car” (aside from being able to beat on the poor things). The open-ness of the SL was a fairly unique experience, even compared to other small, open top cars. You’re as exposed as you can get besides being in like a jeep with no doors or a bike.

The extra power in the Roush is fairly entertaining, and you can feel a noticeable difference from the normal slingshots. The Roush moves with a lot more urgency, and the exhaust is a lot louder. However the engine doesn’t seem to rev much faster. You look at the tach, see a motorbike-esque (or Judd v10-esque) redline a bit north of 10k, but the i4 will take its time getting up there. The acceleration is pretty linear between the two, it just feels more aggressive in the Roush.

So thems the facts. The Polaris slingshot doesn’t make for a good car, but if you’re surprised by that, congrats, I’d love to be able to live my life with such unwired bliss. They can be used as A-B transportation on Friday nights down A1A going to dinner or for a Saturday night game, and will probably garner most of the attention you’ll crave (but probably not the kind you’ll enjoy). And I can see the appeal in having a toy like this, with a little i4 to rev out, wind in your helmet, being exposed to the road, and being able to see into your car as you drive (suspension, tires, etc). And the execution for what most slingshot owners will do is pretty well (colors, weather proofing, easy to customize).

But for me… driving two slingshots just makes me want an Ariel Atom.