Driven: 2024 Polaris Slingshot R – So Much More Than a Silly Three-Wheeler These Days

Far more change than what you'd expect from something that isn't a car or a motorcycle. It's just sort of its own thing in a market segment, which, in many ways, the Slingshot helped to found. This is the 2024 Polaris Slingshot R, and if you'd written off the platform as a tacky gimmick before its mid-cycle refresh, you definitely have to keep reading. I'll be sure to detail my 700-plus mile road week-long road trip in a separate item very soon. But in the meantime, I think it's important to understand where the Slingshot came from in order to contextualize the state it's in today.

The Slingshot platform likely never would've seen the light of day was it not for the ambition of a few Polaris engineers working out of the company's main R&D facility north of Minneapolis in Wyoming, Minnesota. Conceived as a means for Polaris to dip its toes in the on-road side of powersports for the first time, it's safe to say its early examples weren't quite as refined as they could've been.

Dropping brand new in 2014, the arrival of the Slingshot was the first time many North Americans had even conceptualized what would come to be defined federally as an autocycle. I.e., a vehicle with three wheels, generally two in front and one in the rear, with traditional automotive steering and throttle controls. From day one, public perception of the Slingshot was polarizing in a way few vehicles in history can claim. Some praised its funky design, while others bemoaned it as ridiculous. Meanwhile, early Slingshots were pretty spartan in refinements.

With the same 2.4-liter EcoTech four-cylinder motor out of a Chevy Cobalt, there weren't exactly sporting credentials under the hoods of early Slingshots. With slightly imprecise handling characteristics, reviews from the period often praised the Slingshot's potential as a sporty weekend toy but noted that these items needed a fair bit of work. Well, here we are four years post mid-life refresh, and it's fair to say the archetypal autocycle's transformation doesn't begin and end with the engine.

Generally, when I do these reviews, I start with a pull of the door handle to see what's inside. This time, all you need do is lift both legs over the steel tubes of the Slingshot's chassis to lower yourself into the cockpit. It's here that you realize just how much is different with a refreshed Slingshot's interior than what you would've gotten before 2020. The first thing that catches your attention is how nice and high-quality the steering wheel looks and feels. Soft-touch weather-resistant material grips against bare hands even without gloves and inspires confidence when throwing this three-wheeler through corners.

Media control and cruise control buttons are well within reach of either the left or right thumbs, and there's a sense that the compact, race-car-like steering wheel brings the whole vehicle together with a new layer of refinement. The gauge cluster and LCD display on top are crisp and clear-looking, though you might have to crane your neck a bit if you're any taller than I am at about five-foot-ten. Next to this cluster in the Slingshot R sits a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen display with an integrated backup camera developed in-house by Polaris and featuring the brand's Ride Command software. It's the lynchpin of Polaris' Tech 3 Package native to higher trim-level Slighsnots.

Known as an industry leader on the strictly off-road side of things through their side-by-sides, ATVs, and snowmobiles, users of these systems will feel right at home operating the on-road optimized variant. Thick, chunky buttons will serve you well when wearing driving gloves in much the same way they do in a RANGER, RZR, Switchback, or a Sportsman. Screen response might not be quite as crisp as I recall it being on the last RZR Pro side-by-sides I've tested recently, but it's important to remember the Slingshot's Ride Command software is likely altogether different in programming than what you'll find in a side-by-side or snowmobile.

It can't be understated just how colossal a task it is to develop a sat-nav infotainment system in-house without the benefit of the backing of industry giants like Google Maps. With this in mind, the Sligshot's bespoke Ride Command setup is sufficient most of the time, but we'll revisit that later with a few downsides. In the meantime, I was downright surprised by just how comfortable the seat package on a Slingshot R is. Never once on my week-long journey did my problematic lower back feel fatigued or ached, even after hours of highway driving.

Compared to feedback given about the Slingshot before the refresh, what with clunky build quality and a general lack of refinement, it really is quite the opposite on the other side of 2020. It's not quite automotive-grade, but then again, it never needed to be. Everything from headlights to the rear wheel and all in between within the Sligshot's 105-inch wheelbase is built to withstand the elements sans roof.

With this in mind, interior quality is about as acceptable as a permanently open-top roadster could possibly be. Storage is about as mediocre as you'd expect, with two meager shelves, one behind each seat for a helmet, a meager center console, and a passenger side compartment large enough for paperwork or a few personal effects. But you do net no less than three USB Type-A charging ports, one beneath the nav screen, one in the glove box, and one in between the headrests, plus Polaris' proprietary battery tender port native to all current models. So you're pretty set as far as device charging is concerned.

The unit supplied to me came with a Slighshot-specific RAM X-Grip adjustable cell phone holder, a $99 optional extra that came in very handy for a very specific reason we'll touch on in a bit. All in all, this is not a bad place to spend a road trip, assuming your head doesn't poke into the slipstream too much. It all serves as a good first impression when you step on the brake and fire up the revised Slingshot's real party piece, which is an in-house-designed ProStar engine. With two liters of displacement, the ProStar is 400 cc smaller than the outgoing EcoTech, but we can assure you you won't notice the difference out on the streets.

But you will notice that this unit lacks a gear stick. That's because, along with the 2020 refresh, came the optional Polaris AutoDrive automated manual transmission. By using a series of hydraulically operated servos and actuators to change the gears and operate the clutch of a typical manual transmission, the effect is similar to a traditional automatic transmission with push-button drive modes and paddle shifters.

Emphasis on similar, as this transmission definitely doesn't operate like the automatic transmission in your car. It's more mechanical as if you can feel the actuators in the transmission shifting gears beneath your feet. With 203 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque, the Slingshot must be limited to a top speed of 125 mph for your safety. With only 1,651 lbs (749 kg) of its own weight to lug around, a Zero to 60 time of 4.9 seconds means you won't lose every race like you would in an older Slingshot. What this added up to driving across the sprawling state roads of Western Pennsylvania was an experience practically alien to most American drivers.

Being so low to the ground in a vehicle that weighs so little with as much engine power as the Slingshot R has harkens back to the days when true-to-form vintage sports cars used these same qualities to corner faster and better than cars with twice the power. Think of the Austin Healy 3000 or the MGB, but then again, the Slingshot is lighter and even more powerful than either of those. Thanks to a prominent independent double-wishbone front suspension with a single coilover in the rear, the refreshed Slingshot finally corners as it should have from day one. This means, of course, that an afternoon drive down some backroads feels special, like a Grand Prix race.

With a single push of the big red button on the right side of the steering wheel, you can put the vehicle in Slingshot Mode. This increases throttle sensitivity while putting the AutoDrive transmission into its most aggressive shift protocol. There is a noticeable delay in gear shifts, admittedly. Then again, no one advertised the AutoDrive system as Formula 1 quick through the gears. But if you're not well acquainted with manual gearboxes or have a condition that prevents you from effectively using a clutch, this gearbox does at least enable you to get in on the fun.

At least at speeds below 65 mph, the slipstream over your helmet isn't too oppressive, at least to my senses. It's also important to note that the Slingshot doesn't have to conform to automotive emissions standards, so the exhaust is free to burble and snarl across the rev range the way all internal combustion engines used to once upon a time. Even with the automated manual gearbox, this is as close as you can get to a classic sporty roadster experience without simply defaulting to a Miata like we're all indoctrinated to do.

The guttural, almost primal feeling of the grip from the front tires vibrating through the steering wheel to your fingertips is not something you'll encounter in modern mega over-booster power steering units we've all been force-fed in North America. Though this road feels isn't quite extinct yet, it's bound to be quite the challenge to find a sporting driving experience quite as pure as what you'll find in a vehicle with only one back wheel. Oh, and that massive Kenda SS-799 rear tire, measuring 305/30R20, is more than happy to spin, especially at low speeds pulling out of parking lots under hard launch.

The front 225/45R18 front tires seemed to match the Slingshot's front suspension hardware very nicely. Though it says right on the side wall that these are not automotive-grade tires, their road feel almost makes one forget there's only one tire back there. After several hours spread over the course of a week, the number of times I smiled like a doofus beneath my DOT-certified helmet could fill a scrapbook. Fuel economy figures aren't officially posted as of right now, but I did get the impression that putting the vehicle in comfort mode made the most out of Slingshot's 9.77-gallon fuel tank. Whether that's just a placebo or not, I'm not really sure.

That's 9.77 gallons of at least 91-octane, by the way; just something to consider before committing to a finance or rental agreement. But it's a small price to pay for what's ostensibly one of the most true-to-form sports roadsters you can buy new in 2024. It's the pure embodiment of all the lightweight sports cars from history that in so many ways inspired it, an experience that I'd argue every American motorist should try at least once. Whether through the Slingshot or some other means, this is an drive you owe it to yourself to have on the bucket list.

That said, that doesn't make the revised Slingshot a perfect vehicle, not by a long shot. For starters, the Ride Command system is compatible with iOS Car Play but not Android Auto. This means that if you want to use Google Maps instead of Ride Command's proprietary sat-nav software, you'll have to trust that above-mentioned X-Grip phone holder to keep a grip on your Android device, whether you're doing 15 mph or 120 and everything in between. In my experience, the phone mount didn't miss a beat, admittedly.

But the amount of anxiety I felt the entire time my phone was practically totally exposed to the slipstream thanks to the limited-sized windshield and all the vibrations along the way was palpable. I personally think a sat-nav system that supports one mobile phone automotive suite but not the other is frankly unacceptable in 2024. I'm not sure why Polaris opted to implement Ride Command this way, nor will I rampantly speculate. In truth, it wouldn't even be a problem if not for the bespoke Ride Command software getting my destination location wrong a couple of times when I entered the address manually, only for Google Maps to bail me out.

As I said, it's not easy at all to make an in-house sat-nav system, and Ride Command is fairly commendable in its functionality to its credit. But arriving at the opposite end of the road from your chosen destination once or twice might seriously spoil the vibes for a hot second. But what's less easy to defend is the quality of the audio. Now, Polaris has maintained a working relationship with Rockford Fosgate for many years, and I can personally attest that the Stage 4, 400-watt stereo kit in the 2025 RZR Pro line is absolutely banging even at full engine power over sand dunes.

As for the Stage 2, 200-watt unit found in the Slingshot, I'm saddened to say I was disappointed. To a degree, there wasn't much Polaris could do to stop a torrent of turbulent air from spoiling the audio quality. But the fact I could hardly hear any music I played, even at full blast above 65 mph or so, was a real downer when there were 300-plus miles of Interstate 80 ahead of me. This is less of an issue on back roads and smaller state roads at lower speeds where the Slingshot is most at home to begin with, it must be said. Maybe it's for this reason that so many Slingshots you see are equipped with enormous aftermarket stereos fitted into the helmet storage compartments.

Annoyingly, without an optional $299.99 Hill Hold module, you're going to be stomping on the brake for dear life to prevent the vehicle from rolling back and kissing the bumper of the car behind it with its rear tire. The fuel neck also inexplicably has a practically needle-sized entry hole for fuel to flow through, ensuring you're going to splash gasoline all over the rear of the vehicle before you learn how to precisely align the fuel nozzle to the hole inside the fuel filler neck. Why is this the case? I'm not quite sure, as i'm not a motorcycle rider or anything, but it's another thing to look out for.

In a lot of ways, the revised Slingshot, even with roughly 70 percent of its parts being different from the pre-refresh years, still feels like a powersports vehicle Polaris managed to convince the DOT to allow to be road-worthy. You feel this in the constant noise of the engine at any RPM, plus the mild vagueness of the brakes, despite being Brembos, not quite biting the way you'd hope they would with how capable this vehicle is at handling. The Slingshot's tire setup also particularly hates dirt and gravel roads, a paradigm you're bound to encounter quite a bit through the vastness of rural Western PA.

When you weigh the good with the bad, it's fair to call the 2024 Slingshot R a top-shelf open-top roadster experience, just one that comes with a couple of downsides. Considering that you'll be paying $34,799 for a manual variant of the Slingshot R or $36,949 for the AutoDrive automated manual, we'd say the best way to enjoy the experience probably isn't to outright buy a vehicle like this. Rather, you're better off renting them from a place like the Motorcycle Mall in Bellevue, New Jersey, where we picked up our week-long rental, or through the destination-based Polaris Adventures program, which lets you drive a Slingshot for a day down scenic routes across America.

So, to say, a 2024 Slingshot R is pretty pricey as a weekend toy. But if a Destination Polaris location buys a fleet in bulk and rents them out for your enjoyment, it effectively cuts out the middleman and allows just about everyone to get behind the wheel. This way, Polaris is happy selling truckloads of Slingshots to rental companies, and we all get to have the fun. Check out my profile on the experience of daily driving a Slingshot for a week and 700-plus miles real soon if you want to learn more.