The 2024 Polaris Slingshot R Makes Zero Sense, But It’s So Fun You Won’t Care

Three-wheeled vehicles are a category that confuses many enthusiasts. These trikes often bear the traits of cars and motorcycles while not being particularly great at being either a car or a motorcycle. The more you think about the 2024 Polaris Slingshot R, the more you realize it forces you to make compromises you wouldn’t have to if you just bought a normal convertible. Yet, after spending three weeks with a Slingshot R, I had so much fun that I completely stopped caring. I figured out why people love the Slingshot and why you should, too.

As with every press vehicle a manufacturer tosses me the fobs to, I used the Slingshot R not just as a daily driver, but my only vehicle. I drove the Slingshot regardless of what was on the radar, what the outside temperatures were, or where my destination was. If the Slingshot R wasn’t the perfect vehicle for the job, I made it work, anyway.

The Polaris Slingshot has been around for about a decade. Through all of that time, I always had just one question: Why? Why do these exist? Why do people buy these things? Why do those same people who spend $30,000 on a Slingshot then spend thousands more on bold customization? Is it better than just buying a Mazda Miata?

For years, I haven’t been able to answer those questions. I put about 1,200 miles on the 2024 Polaris Slingshot R and in the end, it became my second-favorite press vehicle to date. It’s second only to the Ford F-150 FP700 in vehicles I wanted to figure out how to keep forever. So, right from the start of this review, you can color me a fan, but that doesn’t mean the Slingshot R is perfect, or anywhere near it.

The Polaris Slingshot started life as a prototype created by Polaris engineers in 2010 and quickly got a green light from company brass. A team came together in Minnesota and then spent the next four years hunkered down to make the prototype a real vehicle. The Slingshot went on sale in 2014, right on time to celebrate 60 years of Polaris products.

To date, the Slingshot remains the only Polaris-branded product designed for road use. If you bought something else with that familiar star logo on it, you got something meant for mad airtime off-road, good times on water, or dominating frozen snowscapes. Toss in the Polaris ownership of Indian Motorcycle and the company sells toys for just about any vehicular outdoor activity you have in mind. Smart!

Parts Bin Raider

One of the weird things about the Slingshot has always been the fact that it’s not entirely an in-house effort. There’s a lot of Polaris engineering here from the vehicle’s tube frame structure and the bombastic bodywork, but Polaris initially reached into the General Motors parts bin for propulsion. The first Slingshots had 2.4-liter GM Ecotec LE9 four-cylinder engines, better known for their former use in Chevrolet HHRs.

The Slingshot was redesigned for 2020 and Polaris says the new one has 70 percent new content, even if it looks very similar to your eyes. But look closely and you’ll see that Polaris did in fact make real improvements. The front end is somehow even more aggressive and now houses LED lighting while the “interior” looks a little more like a road vehicle when before it felt as if Polaris lifted the old Slingshot interior from a side-by-side.

Perhaps the biggest change happened under the hood.

Polaris left that 173 HP Ecotec in the past, replacing it with the Polaris ProStar 2.0-liter four, a high-revving screamer with two tunes. The base version makes 178 HP right at 8,500 RPM and 120 lb-ft of torque 5,500 RPM. The better of the two tunes is the one that makes 203 HP at 8,250 RPM before redlining at 8,500 RPM. Torque is decent in the higher version, too, hitting 144 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 RPM.

This power is backed up by an Aisin AR5, a transmission used in the first-generation Chevrolet Colorado, and is also related to the AX15 found in Jeeps as well as the Dodge Dakota. The AR5 was also bolted to the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters, where they were subjected to up to 260 HP and 260 lb-ft of torque. In other words, the Slingshot has a truck transmission, but one built for way more abuse than the Slingshot can deal out.

Another neat change for 2020 was the addition of an automatic transmission for the first time in the Slingshot lineup. This is a bit interesting in itself because the automatic is just the same AR5, but with a computer handling the shifting and the clutch, like a BMW SMG or the Getrag out of an early Smart Fortwo. I wonder if Aisin’s engineers ever expected their AR5 to have an automatic variant one day. I’m also a bit amused that this is a truck transmission but the output finally reaches the rear wheel through a belt like a motorcycle.

The Polaris Slingshot has a pretty wide trim level spread, from my previous entry:

The Slingshot has a trim level spread starting with the basic S for $21,999 and rising up to the Roush Edition for $38,149. The top of the regular line is the R, which sits at $34,799 before options. Much like with a car, the trim levels dictate how much content you get. For example, the base S has the 2.0 ProStar engine, but it’s tuned to 178 HP. You also get base-level bodywork, standard brakes, no windshield, and so on. Even the infotainment system is optional and you don’t even get the option to equip the Slingshot S with a backup camera.

The R is the top of the food chain, sporting all of the features either locked out of the S model or optional as standard. That includes a 20″ 305mm rear wheel, Apple CarPlay, tri-tone paint, a graphics package, a 200 W Rockford Fosgate sound system, and so much more. The R even gets big vented 339mm discs with four-piston Brembo calipers, which aren’t on the lower models.

One area where the Slingshot R really stands out is with wheels and tires. Remember that you’re getting just three of them, so you want as much grip as you can. Up front, you get 18-inch wheels shod in 225-section width Kenda SS-799 tires. The single tire bringing up the rear is a meaty 305-section width Kenda SS-799 riding on a 20-inch wheel.

Meanwhile, the rear tire of the base model Slingshot S is just a 255. Kenda tires already aren’t the best tires for traction and I’ll have more on that later, but you want thick tires when you’re already down a wheel.

The stats of the Slingshot prepare you for a sports car-like experience. The floor is just 5.4 inches off of the ground and the Slingshot R is a featherweight at 1,749 pounds wet. You ride on coilovers and a double wishbone suspension and steering is quick 2.5 turns. Polaris says you can hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and you’re getting an 8.1 lb/hp power-to-weight ratio, too.

All of this is wrapped up in a vehicle that’s weatherproof like a motorcycle is. So you can park your Slingshot R outside, drive it in the rain, or even hoon it in the snow and it’ll continue to work.

As I said in my previous entry, there’s a tube frame and what feels pretty solid, towering rollbars. However, Polaris highly recommends wearing a helmet, even if you live someplace where you don’t need to. The good news is that the Slingshot has pretty cavernous storage lockers behind the seats so storing helmets shouldn’t be a problem.

All Eyes Are On You

Honestly, I should have started this with the looks because that’s the first thing you and everyone else is going to notice. The Slingshot and especially the Slingshot R are loud vehicles. Somehow, I mean both in acoustics and in visuals.

Let’s start with that engine. In my first entry, I noted how the engine was loud. It was loud on startup and it was loud whenever you had the RPM over 2 grand. It baffled me throughout the loan period, so I tried to focus on where I thought the sound was coming from. Following my ears led me to pop the hood, where I found out that the ProStar engine dumps its exhaust right out in front of your passenger. Sure, there’s a muffler and some heat shields, but the noise is coming right at you and your passenger rather than exhausting behind you like in most other vehicles. Sadly, Sheryl commented that when I hit the gas, she smelled exhaust fumes, too.

I can sort of see why Polaris did this. The passenger tub is directly behind the engine bay and then there’s basically nothing after, so I’m not sure of an exhaust routing that would work. But I hope the next generation of Slingshot figures it out. At least the engine sounds good. At idle it hums a bit like a tuned four-cylinder motorcycle engine and when you’re on the power it sounds mean and a little gritty. The Slingshot is all about drama, so the engine’s soundtrack definitely fits.

Yet, the noise is only part of the drama. Just looking at the thing gets you all riled up. A Mazda Miata is graceful and a Saturn Sky is sexy. The Polaris Slingshot R looks like an alien that just landed on Earth to mess some stuff up. The Slingshot R’s front end has a pair of wings, a splitter, a big honkin’ angry face, and striking X-shaped LED driving lights that look like a UFO is coming straight at you.

At the same time, everything is exaggerated here. The hood has a comically huge bulge like a hot rod, there’s a giant hood scoop, and the fenders swoop over the front tires with giant gouges which seem to do little more than function as ducts to push water onto your face in the rain. The design of the Slingshot is ugly, but seemingly intentionally so. It’s certainly not something you should take seriously.

The same goes for the rear end, where the minimal bodywork is covered in giant LED lights and a tall sail. The rest of it is black, flat, and weirdly devoid of much other than the single wheel, swingarm, and giant coilover. A lot of strangers said that the Slingshot R was something they’d think Batman would drive around Gotham City, and I think that’s probably the best way to describe how a Slingshot looks.

A rollback tow truck delivered the Slingshot to me on a rainy morning. I swear I’ve never seen so many people staring at a tow truck before. Multiple neighbors peered through their windows at the green monster being lowered to the ground. Someone walking their dog had to stop and stare and one of my other neighbors looked at the Slingshot as if I had just shot that dog or something. No fewer than three neighbors all had to stop me to ask questions, take pictures, and compliment the Slingshot.

This was a regular occurrence throughout the entirety of the three-week loan. Slingshots have been out for a decade and are pretty common where I live, yet everyone wanted to say something and everyone wanted to take a picture. It’s funny because nobody cared when I parked a bright orange Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at home and few cared about the Can-Am Ryker Rally and its bold turbine wheels. But the “Army Green” Slingshot R? Somehow it drew eyes wherever it went.

I’ve driven a lot of dramatic vehicles over the years and none of them had the ability to get people talking to you like the Slingshot does. The only vehicle I can think of that gets anywhere close to the level of attention as the Slingshot R is my Honda Beat. In other words, this is not a vehicle for introverts. If anything, I’d say this is the vehicle you want to buy if you want to feel like a micro-celebrity, because that’s the kind of attention you’ll get.

As Ridiculously Fun As It Looks

The drama doesn’t end when you get into the driver seat.

The seatbelt originates from the opposite side of where it is in a normal car and if you’re of average height, the shorty windshield will stop roughly around eye level. You start it by punching your foot into the clutch pedal, waiting for the start button light to turn green, and listening for that ProStar to wake up from its slumber.

From there, the ride is pure ridiculousness. The first time I drove it I clicked the Slingshot R into first gear, lifted the clutch pedal, and motored out of my neighborhood. Slotting the transmission into second gear is a familiar feel. My Saturn Sky Red Line has this transmission and it feels just as agricultural here as it does in that car. The shifter doesn’t so much quickly slide into gear as you push it there. It’s not as precise or nearly as “bolt action” as you’d expect from something like a good Honda. Instead, it’s like a manual from a pickup truck where it’s a bit unrefined and a bit rough, but the gears are where you’d expect them to be and each shift is as entirely predictable as the last.

I would knock this transmission if it were in anything but the Slingshot. However, the truck transmission only adds to the drama. Once again, there’s nothing in the way of sound deadening so you hear the gears whining loud and clear. Sometimes you’ll take a corner in just the right way to make the transmission emit a loud rattle. There’s nothing wrong here, it’s just part of the charm of the AR5 being put into the last vehicle you’d expect it to be in.

You’re not going to care too much about that transmission because the real fun begins when you punch the throttle. The Slingshot R has a regular driving mode and a Slingshot mode and honestly, you’re not even going to bother having it in any other setting than Slingshot, which makes the pedal the most responsive. Punching it out of a green light causes the rear wheel to light up and the traction control system to panic in an attempt to rein you in. It’ll be mostly ineffective as you rocket your way to redline, slam that truck transmission into second gear, and get that tire spinning all over again. The Slingshot R is a total riot to ram through the gears as you watch that speedometer race toward the top of the instrument cluster.

The open flight deck, lack of any insulation, and almost useless windscreen make these events of hooliganism near full sensory experiences. Your ears are overwhelmed by the sounds of a pissed-off ProStar and squealing tire, the aroma of burning rubber and exhaust fumes waft into your nose, your body feels the rear end getting loose and the pavement through the steering wheel, and your eyes are holding on as distant objects suddenly start getting closer much faster. The only thing missing here is something to taste while you lay down a single black stripe on the pavement.

Turn off traction control and it’s pure sensory overload. The Polaris Slingshot R is happy to back off enough to let you do a full single-wheel burnout, donuts, and drifts to your heart’s content. I think this is the benefit of going with the Kenda tires. They break loose early enough that you can feel like a drift king as you tear up the parking lot at the local abandoned Kmart.

Yet, these tires also have enough traction to keep you happy when the going gets twisty. I took the Slingshot R on the closest thing to a real driving road near me, the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive, a 115-mile route that starts in southern Wisconsin and dumps you out near Sheboygan and Road America. The route has lots of sharp twists, turns, and curves that you can have some real fun on.

I’m not going to say you’re going to rip up the Tail of the Dragon, because you’ll find that proper sports cars will be faster than you. However, the Slingshot R holds on just well enough to give most people a big smile on their face. I also love how the Slingshot R loses traction with oversteer. Handling is predictable and you will feel the tires hitting their limit before they give up, but push past the limit anyway and you’ll probably end up executing a Top Gear-style drift. If you’re like me, you’ll be cackling like a witch in no time flat.

In fact, I found myself laughing for so many of the miles I put on the Slingshot R. It was just too fun to drift around a corner, light up that rear tire, and just take the whole world in from this open vehicle. The Slingshot is also the opposite of everything enthusiasts hate about today’s cars. There’s no radar cruise control, there isn’t a Level 2 driver assist system, and there isn’t even a blind spot monitor. The best tech you get is a sort of low-resolution backup camera and traction control that you can turn off.

Instead, you’re in charge of your destiny here. Take a turn too hot? You’re going to kick that rear end out. Punch the throttle during a U-turn? You’re going to leave a black strip on the ground behind you. Save for the traction control, which is easily defeated, the Polaris Slingshot is a vehicle that lets you do whatever you want, just like how cars used to be.

This extends to ride comfort, too. So many vehicles dull the feeling of the open road to the point where you don’t even feel anything in the steering wheel. That’s not the case here. The steering wheel communicates what the front wheels are doing and your seats will happily translate what the rear wheel is talking about on your drive.

It should be noted that yes, the Slingshot does have a harsh ride. The front suspension appears to be pretty soft, but you have to remember that there’s just a single wheel keeping your seat off of the road back there, and that’s where the firmness in the suspension comes from. With that said, the seats in the Slingshot R are comfortable enough that the bumps are never too intrusive. Certainly, the ride quality of my Smart Fortwos is way worse. Sheryl and I were able to take entire-day drives in the Slingshot R and neither of us noted any real negatives for comfort. We both especially liked how the Slingshot R tester had heated and ventilated seats, which legitimately made a good difference out on the road.

While we’re on the subject of comfort, a common complaint about three-wheelers is that the center wheel rides in the middle of a lane, where debris can be found, there might be a ridge, and where the third track makes dodging potholes harder. I’ve now tested quite a few three-wheeled vehicles and I just don’t see the former argument. Yes, sometimes you’ll find oil and such at red lights, but the vast majority of the time the rear wheel is just there, being a wheel. There has never been a point where I felt this was a dangerous setup.

The only time things get a little weird is when the road is so worn out there are two tracks embedded down in the road and the center of the lane is raised a bit. But even then, it just feels “different,” but not unsafe or anything like that.

As for the latter, there is truth that dodging potholes is harder. If you come up on a minefield of potholes, there’s not much you can do but hold on. If you come up on one or two potholes, it’s much different. The Slingshot’s tracks do not overlap each other, so you just have to pick a line that straddles either the left and rear wheel or right and rear wheel.

I was a bit crazy enough to drive the Slingshot R in the rain, too. I’m not talking about an afternoon downpour, either, but a full-on severe thunderstorm. I’m talking about the kind of storm that knocks out power and makes most other motorcyclists hide under bridges. Again, I’m equal parts silly and stupid, so I kept driving the Slingshot even when it rained so hard I achieved full-body wetness.

I experienced a weird sort of euphoria doing this. It’s like once I got fully wet, I had no reason to even attempt to hide from the rain. I embraced driving the Slingshot R in the rain. I turned on my tunes, pumped my hands, and drove through the deluge like it didn’t bother me one bit. I was basically driving my own personal waterpark. This was way different than riding a motorcycle in the rain, where I’m still dressed up as a Power Ranger. Here, I’m just in regular street clothes and a helmet. I felt liberated from the same conventions the Slingshot so happily threw a middle finger at.

Oh, right, the Slingshot R. The vehicle lives up to the promise of being weatherproof and the great thing is that the pedal box remained mostly dry, too, thanks to the built-in drains in the floorboard. Driving the Slingshot in the rain only amplifies what makes the Slingshot such a great hooligan-mobile in the first place. Reducing traction even further makes the rear Kenda spin if you look at it the wrong way, so now the rain can be used for your own ballet of silliness. Go ahead, do some wet donuts in a parking lot, and have a blast.

Also, all of this fun is totally independent of the Slingshot R’s Ride Command system. This is the same infotainment system that’s offered on other Polaris products and it’s usually good, giving you vehicle vitals, Apple CarPlay, maps, and music. Pair Ride Command with the 200 W Rockford Fosgate speakers and you have a boombox on wheels. Seriously, the Slingshot R gets loud enough that you could use it as the source of music at a block party. And in true Polaris rockstar fashion, the volume bar goes up to 11 rather than just 10.

I am a fan of the sound system in the Slingshot R. Rockford Fosgate knows people are going to crank its sound systems up way too loud and the company has done a great job of ensuring that the tunes come in loud and clear even when you have it set to 11. How loud are we talking about here? If you turn the Slingshot R’s system up to 9 you’ll feel the bass in your heart. Turn it to 11 and you won’t be able to think straight.

Of course, please don’t expose the whole world to your tunes. Please music responsibly!

Not Everything Is Perfect

With all of that being said, I do have a list of complaints from my time with the Slingshot R.

The first thing that bugged me for the whole three weeks was just how glitchy the Ride Command system was. Every now and then the track I was streaming started skipping hard like a heavily-scratched CD. Restarting Ride Command fixed it, which was fine enough. However, it got to the point where the skipping condition happened every other time I started the Slingshot, which meant it got annoying really quickly. A reset of the system didn’t work.

I wish that was the only Ride Command glitch. Other times the volume buttons would become totally unresponsive or it would just freeze while trying to read an iPhone 15 connected via USB. I tested both that iPhone 15 and my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the issues were present when using both phones. Sometimes, as if adding insult to injury, Ride Command would skip, freeze, and kill its volume buttons all at the same time. I’m not sure if there was just something wrong with the specific infotainment system in my tester or it’s a Polaris-wide thing, but sometimes the glitches were so prevalent and so difficult to clear that I just drove without any music because it was easier than constantly rebooting Ride Command.

Another glitch came in the form of the glovebox in front of the passenger seat. This glovebox is great because it’s large enough to fit a big purse or groceries and it’s sealed from the environment. However, it’s those very seals that make closing the glovebox difficult if you want to carry something big. I frequently found myself pushing itty bitty pieces of my purse behind the seals, just for them to pop out while closing the glovebox. This makes closing the glovebox with a large item a two-handed affair. To be clear, this isn’t a big deal or a dealbreaker. But maybe this can be improved in the future.

Another quirk comes from the transmission tunnel, which is under the center console. The center console has a nice spot for you to place your phone under the infotainment system.

I like it, right until you hit heavy traffic. Then, the pad your phone is sitting on gets so hot that it will overheat and shut down. This happened with both my Samsung and the iPhone we had on board. This is something that could be solved with just some insulation under the phone pad or something along those lines. Otherwise, whenever I hit traffic I had to toss my phone in my dress pocket to prevent it from frying in the heat.

Finally, there are a few other small things I’d love to see improved in the future. The steering wheel doesn’t telescope and the seats don’t have height adjustment, which makes finding the perfect driving condition difficult. The Slingshot is also covered in hard plastic, which is on par for an outdoor product. But it sometimes rattles and offers insufficient insulation from the exhaust, leading to fumes entering your helmet. And yeah, I’d love if the exhaust could be moved elsewhere and not more or less in front of your face.

Some Of The Most Fun You’ll Have On Three Wheels

It sounds like I’m complaining a lot, but the truth is that I think Polaris has something awesome here. I think it just needs a few more tweaks to be even better.

My former colleagues over at Jalopnik tested a Slingshot SL and based on that review, it seems like the higher-end models are the ones to get. Or, maybe buy a lower model and upgrade it yourself. Either way, it seems like Jalopnik had a bad time and that’s a shame because I had the time of my life. I have a fleet of over 20 vehicles, yet for three weeks, the Slingshot R was my default choice. I don’t care if it was over 90 degrees or if it was raining cats and dogs, the Slingshot R was always the vehicle I wanted to drive. I also couldn’t complain with the 30 mpg fuel economy I got without even trying.

As I said before, Slingshot owners are a diverse group. Everyone from women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and just about everyone else can be found behind the wheel of a Slingshot. Many of these people customize their rides to be as unique as they are. Somehow, it’s possible to make Slingshots louder and owners do it with gigantic speakers, underglow, and wheels that’ll make a donk blush. I love that. People should be so proud of their vehicles that they make them even more personal, and Slingshots do that for people.

Readers will be correct when they point out that just about any typical convertible is infinitely more practical, better looking, and maybe even easier on the wallet. Yes, there’s a reason why they say “Miata Is Always The Answer.” However, none of that matters. Look past arguments of practicality and just look at the Slingshot R as your ticket to fun. It doesn’t have to make sense if you have a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon. So, my conclusion remains the same now as it was when the Slingshot first arrived. These vehicles get a lot of hate – looking at you, Mr. Regular – but they don’t deserve it.

It’s also more than fun; the Polaris Slingshot R is a statement. It’s a loud and proud vehicle that pisses off your HOA, excites children, and gets people talking. Nobody cares if you’re driving a Miata, everyone cares about the Slingshot, whether they like it or not. One of the great moments I had in the Slingshot R was when I loaded up a playlist of “Weird Al” Yankovic. Kids waved, parents gave me thumbs up, and I drove off happily into the sunset. That, as well as pure hooliganism, is exactly what the Polaris Slingshot is all about. And for some people, that’s more than worth the price of admission.