#Polaris slingshot price driver

AutoDrive can now comport itself reasonably well in automatic mode, but it's always an improvement to hit the big M button on the console and call the shots yourself.

#Polaris slingshot price driver

Regardless of its transmission, the Polaris Slingshot is a throwback to the days when the driver mattered. Even on a racetrack, a good dual-clutch 'box can give you the sense that working the shift paddles with your clumsy paws is, if anything, a liability. A more advanced dual-clutch automatic would have been heavier and more expensive, Polaris says, so here we are.ДЄnd modern dual-clutch transmissions are so good that you often just leave them in automatic mode. The company worried about the gearbox's weight not because of performance reasons but to keep the Slingshot at a poundage where it can be classified as an autocycle, the rules for which in America vary widely from state to state. Polaris lists the curb weight of the SL AutoDrive model we drove at 1663 pounds, just 14 pounds more than with the standard five-speed manual.

Indeed, the Slingshot makes a Lotus Elise seem porcine. The Slingshot's four-banger is perfectly happy to burble along at 2000 rpm, and it's not like it has a whole lot of machine to drag around. But it is nice that you can now upshift at lower speeds if you're feeling zen. Then again, when you're skimming the pavement in a vehicle with no doors and the barest suggestion of a windshield, some highway noise is to be expected. On the interstate, the Slingshot's stubby exhaust constantly emits an unpleasant drone. If you're cruising at highway speeds, you might wish that it did, because fifth doesn't let the engine relax much, despite being a 0.75:1 overdrive ratio.

The other time you get the 'shift not allowed' message is when you're in fifth gear and try to upshift to sixth, which doesn't exist. The Slingshot generally obeys your shift commands, however, even if you're downshifting right into the red zone. Try to grab a lower gear that would overrev the engine and you'll get a 'shift not allowed' message in the instrument cluster. Downshifts are rev matched and seem somewhat quicker, though that's probably an illusion wrought by the ferocious throttle blip that often accompanies a pull on the left paddle.