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Reviewed: Polaris Slingshot R Is Thrilling, Exciting & Expensive
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Sep 4, 2024
The Slingshot is an exciting, unique, and attention grabbing three wheel motorcycle from Polaris. You’ve probably seen one passing by on the road and wondered exactly what it was, why would someone buy it and is it really worth all the money. We’ll answer those questions and more because GM-Trucks.com recently had the opportunity to chill with a brand new 2020 Slingshot R. Read More: https://www.gm-trucks.com/reviewed-polaris-slingshot-r-is-thrilling-exciting-expensive/
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0:00
The Slingshot is an exciting, unique, and attention-grabbing three-wheel motorcycle
0:05
from Polaris. You've probably seen one passing by on the road and wonder exactly what it was
0:11
Why would someone buy it? And is it really worth all the money? We'll answer those questions and
0:17
more because GM-Trucks.com recently had the opportunity to chill with a brand new 2020
0:24
Slingshot R. In 2014, Polaris started producing the three-wheeled Slingshot by using parts taken
0:32
from its extremely popular side-by-side lineup and molding them into something street-worthy
0:38
and totally eye-catching. The Slingshot. Classified as a three-wheeler or auto-cycle by many states, the Slingshot is basically a ride-in motorcycle. In 44 states, you don't
0:51
need a motorcycle license to drive a Slingshot, but most states do require a motorcycle helmet
0:58
It's that closeness to the motorcycle experience that draws people to the Slingshot. A feeling of
1:04
open-air driving with nothing surrounding you combined with the simple driving characteristics
1:09
of a car. Just get in, buckle up, and go. No special certifications, licenses, or equipment
1:19
required. Until 2019, Polaris equipped the Slingshot with a General Motors-sourced 173-horsepower
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Ecotec four-cylinder engine. But in 2020, the Slingshot has stepped up to a Polaris-exclusive
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Pro-Star two-liter engine. That engine is essentially a double-sized version of the two-cylinder
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100-horsepower Pro-Star found on many of the brand's side-by-sides, like the Ranger, General
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and RZR. We've been a big fan of the one-liter Pro-Star for years, and the two-liter version
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also earns our praise for packing a lot of punch in an extremely tight package. Make no mistake
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203 horsepower in what is essentially an engine on wheels is no small number. The Slingshot is
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every bit as fast as it looks. Also new for 2020 is the addition of an automatic-style
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auto-drive transmission. Essentially a hydraulically-actuated manual, auto-drive shifts between five forward gears and one reverse with no manual intervention. Do-it-yourselfers can still
2:31
opt for a manual transmission on Slingshot R, though. As we mentioned before, the Slingshot has
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been significantly updated for 2020, with over 70% of its parts new for this model year
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Updates from 2009 include a refreshed and more aggressive exterior, Ride Command 2.0, and a new
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drive mode system that changes the demeanor of the Slingshot at the push of a button. Polaris has also
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tuned the suspension and frame to offer a better-composed ride and feedback. But for all of
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that fun, get ready to pay a price. The 2020 Slingshot SL starts at $26,499
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So what did we think of the Slingshot? We were lucky to test-own a Slingshot R for three
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incredible weeks this past summer. In our time behind the wheel, we had a chance to explore every
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facet of this exciting three-wheeler. In the end, we loved many things and disliked a few things
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about the refreshed 2020 Slingshot R. First, the Slingshot is unlike any other vehicle we've
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test-driven. The attention this thing brings to whomever is driving is unreal. Like a Ferrari or
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McLaren, people notice the Polaris Slingshot. Behind the wheel, the Slingshot also offers
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blistering performance. With no frame flex and a stiff suspension, there's no curve that's too
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tight, no country road that is too winding. Every drive in the Slingshot is exciting and gets your
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heart racing. But in other ways, the Slingshot fell flat. We were not fans of the auto-drive
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transmission whatsoever. It's slow, takes forever to shift, and always seems to shift at the wrong
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time. Even a moderate push on the accelerator seems to prompt a long and slowly drawn-out
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downshift. On multiple occasions, we found hammering the throttle from a stop would light
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the rear tire up, only to fall flat on a sluggish one-two shift and kill all forward momentum
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Making quick maneuvers while changing lanes or leaving an intersection can become frustrating
4:39
with the auto-shift's lazy tendencies. And while we learned to live with the transmission over the
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three weeks we drove the Slingshot, we never got used to it and really craved the manual option
4:50
Being entirely open to the environment also presented challenges. During our time with the
4:55
Slingshot, the temperatures ranged from the lower 50s to upper 90s. Perfect motorcycle weather, right
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Well, not so fast. With no heat or air conditioning, Slingshot has a narrow window of temperature that
5:07
ends up being comfortable. We found anything below 70 could get cold quickly. Conversely
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any temperatures above 85 quickly became swelteringly hot. A simple heater or heated
5:18
seats could increase the usability envelope of the Slingshot a lot. And lastly, the non-boosted
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brakes on the Slingshot R were spongy at times and could never quite bring the unit to a stop
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as well as it could accelerate. And despite being priced far higher than most motorcycles
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the Slingshot offers far more than most motorcycles do too. No matter if you're a two-wheeled ace who
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just wants something easier to drive, or a millennial who always thought open-air riding
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would be fun but found motorcycles too intimidating, the Slingshot just may be the perfect ride for you
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