Polaris Slingshot: PH2 Review
Impractical, wide and very lairy - PH2 discovers what it is like to live with the oddball Polaris three wheeler...
Although I own a car (of sorts - it's a 2CV) I have never driven anything like the Slingshot and at first it is an unnerving experience. As well as having to deal with it being left-hand drive, the sheer width of the car is terrifying. I can drive a long wheelbase Transit without thinking twice, but the Slingshot really took some concentration. However, once you relax and trust your instincts, the fun begins.
On bikes I like to be a bit silly, ride fast and pull the occasional wheelie. While traffic means that driving the Slingshot fast is challenging (and overtaking is hard due to the left-hand drive) it does do a trick almost as amusing as a wheelie - drifting. With traction and brake control that saves it all going wrong, you can easily drift the Slingshot out of first and second gear bends, which is hysterical. Roundabouts are taken broadside and anytime you pull away in first gear (and an audience is watching) you can leave a huge black line. Legal? Probably not. Fun? Oh yes! As much fun as a wheelie? Less skill is involved, but a good drift is equally satisfying.
Tight squeeze!
Bikes aren't that practical and you aren't going to use a car like this for commuting, but it does at least need to be reasonably usable. On the plus side the Slingshot has a tank range of around 240 miles, the small screen is actually pretty effective (legally you don't need to wear a crash helmet, but I did) and the seat is quite comfortable. I took it to the supermarket and once I squeezed it into a parking spot, I found you could fit a shopping bag in the behind seat compartments. They are lockable, but to be honest, that's just a visual deterrent and could be ripped open in seconds.
Space wise it is limited, but you can easily fit a lid in the compartment so you don't have to walk around carrying it and there is a sturdier lockable glove box with a USB plug. Is it practical? As much as any open top car of this style can be. The clutch is good, turning circle decent and there is a reversing camera. It could certainly do a weekend away, as long as you packed sparingly, so it is a bit more practical than a bike. Although not as good at filtering, and getting stuck in a traffic jam in an open top car like this is a recipe for sunstroke!
How wide is the Slingshot? According to my tape measure it is 2m from wheel outer to wheel outer. My garage door, which I assume is pretty standard, is exactly 2.16m so it's a tight fit but possible. If you brave it, a lot like a cat with its whiskers, once the nose is in the rest follows! Also, as the Slingshot has no doors, you won't suffer an embarrassing 'DeLorean' incident and get trapped inside the car... So where do you park it? In America owners tend to treat Slingshots as utility vehicles and leave them outside. Polaris foresaw this and the car is designed to be jet washable - inside and out. The interior is waterproof (including the stereo) and the floor has drain holes - it's kind of an automotive snowmobile and that explains the plasticky feel of it. In the end I opted to use the tonneau cover to keep my seat free of bird poo. Bikes are considerably easier to tuck away.
One way to make an impression at a track day
I'm no car racer, but even my very limited car knowledge (and an A-level in Physics) tells me a four-wheeled track car such as a Caterham will annihilate the Slingshot around a track. Four sticky tyres provide more grip than three, but for a car track day novice (countless bike track days, but Mallory Park was my first time on track with more wheels) such as myself the Slingshot was still fun. For a motorcyclist, the front end grip is staggering and exiting Gerard's at the top of third gear with the rear drifting was proper exciting. Did it beat the buzz of two wheels? Not really, but due to the Slingshot's three wheel design and traction control, I never felt like I was pushing to a point of spinning it where on a feisty four wheeler I could see myself exceeding my talent levels and entering a gravel trap backwards!
When you push the Slingshot too hard the rear breaks free as it has far less grip than the front, at which point it gets caught by the electronics and then it all safely works itself out. Go down the gears too quickly and I reckon it would swap ends, but this is more user error! So yes, the Slingshot is a competent track car, but certainly not the fastest or best. For novices it's fast enough, but the real fun is to be had drifting it out of bends rather than beating lap times. Certainly easier to drive fast than a bike, but not as thrilling.
Expensive, yes, but very good fun
You would have to fit the Slingshot in the garage in the first place, but even if I could do this I'd not swap for a bike. I get the Slingshot, I really do. It is hysterical to drive, turns heads like nothing else, and is more nervous passenger friendly than a bike. If I had young kids to turn into petrolheads and wanted a weekend toy to enjoy with (one of) them I could see a bike making way for the Slingshot, especially if the PCP plan was favourable. But for me, I'd need it to be right-hand drive at the very least to make it more appealing and ideally a bit narrower too. At £23,000 it is a very expensive weekend toy. But a Ducati 1299 Panigale S costs just £2,000 less and impracticality doesn't seem to have harmed its sales!
POLARIS SLINGSHOT SL
Engine: 2,384cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive by belt
Power (hp): 175@6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 167@4,700rpm
0-62mph: 6.0sec (est.)
Top speed: 130mph
Weight: 786kg
Price: £22,999
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I love my cars, and I love my bikes - but these things with 3 wheels? Sorry, but I just don't get them! :/
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