You don’t have to be a hardcore biker to cruise the streets in Polaris Slingshot style.
It ’s early October in Austin and it ’s hot . Very spicy . Or at least that ’s how it seems to me , having flown down for the weekend from rainy , 65 - level Washington , DC . My motivation for the trip was to catch a few circle atAustin City Limitsand , more importantly , search a metropolis I had n’t chat in decade from an entirely novel vantage point : the number one wood ’s seat of a low slung , three - wheeled , open - air roadster dubbed thePolaris Slingshot .
But back to the heat energy . The sun overreach down on my heavy black motorcycle helmet , testing the sun blocker I applied liberally to my olfactory organ and hands before buckling in ( a helpful tip from the Polaris team ) . We turn ontoSouth Congress , a dozen or so curious , brightly painted little vehicles arranged exclusive - file like flashy Ne duckling . The Capitol Building building looms in the length , its stately dome enveloped in late afternoon haze . As we cull up pep pill , the walkover becomes a full body affair , allow for a welcome respite from the invariant humidity as it step on it through the thickset , well - ventilate machine .
At a traffic light , I hook my headphone up to the Bluetooth - enabled sound system and dial inWildcard , Miranda Lambert ’s 2019 goldmine of an album ( when in Texas , right ? ) . We cower closer to downtown , weaving in and out of South Congress ’s all-encompassing lanes and pulling onto a narrow street flank by bars . “ Tequila Does ” pours from my speakers , and that ’s when heads start out to turn .
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
“ Hey , take care at that ! ” shouts one onlooker from a crowded bus stop . “ I ’ve seen those before — those are mad . ”
“ How much does one of those run ? ” asks another admirer some blocks afterwards , approaching my tick over Slingshot in light traffic .
“ They start at around 20 , I think , ” I say , trying to recall the ballpark numbers game from the pre - drive briefing an hour before .
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
“ That ’s badass , ” he proclaims , returning to the curb with a widely - toothed smile and a ovolo up .
I ’m 15 instant into my first - ever Slingshot drive , and I know one affair for sure : This is not your average city tour .
“ We establish in 2015 , after about 5 or 6 long time of development , kind of turn that garage construct into an actual vehicle , ” says Polaris Slingshot frailty president Christopher Sergeant . “ And we were gather with pretty wild success right off the at-bat — oversold arithmetic mean by a lot . ”
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
He is n’t jest . According to the tardy numbers , Polaris ’s Slingshot division has enjoyed 20 % yr - over - class growth since its original debut . An even more sensational identification number ? 86 % of client are first - timers , and many — like me — are new to power sports all together , proving that you do n’t need to be Evel Knievel to get behind the wheel of one of these mug . In fact , you do n’t even take to know how to work a batch .
“ In 2020 , we introduced our first automated manual — it ’s the same exact manual transmission , but it ’s now a computer shifting for you , which feed the same Slingshot experience to everybody , ” says Sergeant . “ We did some market inquiry and establish out less than 2 % of the car sold have a manual transmission , and less than 15 % of citizenry cover evenwantingto learn how to get a manual of arms , let alone knowing how . ”
“ It ’s the same transmission you ’d have if you were shift a manual car , but there is a estimator doing it for you , so it ’s a very alone experience , ” tally Slingshot senior product handler Dan Burt . “ It ’s intuitive in the fact that all the same motions are blend on — it ’s not just smoothen all the fashion through ; as you accelerate , you ’ll feel it shift . It ’s very much not like your car , on function . ”
Polaris Slingshot
This move away from manual - only models has launch Slingshot even further into the spotlight . franchise around the country have get into the Slingshot game , while communities of drivers have come together to strut their stuff and show off impost rides in urban heart and rural locales likewise .
“ Slingshot customer are the most inclusive community I ’ve ever seen in power summercater , ” Sergeant expounds . “ I ’ve ridden with them in a rental car , like a Nissan Sentra , just because I did n’t have anything else . They just really want to share the road with everybody else . ”
That purport of inclusivity extends to women and citizenry of color , grouping that previously made up a very small share of king sport enthusiasts . “ We ’re the most multicultural and most diverse production in Polaris ’s portfolio , ” says Sergeant . “ 60 % more fair sex purchase Slingshots than any other product in Polaris ’s portfolio , and we ’re 257 % more multicultural — that means non - white males , essentially . In power sportsman in the US , it ’s largely 90 - plus percent white male person that do it . Slingshot ’s a whole ' nother category of people , and we sleep with that because it ’s in our DNA . ”
Polaris Slingshot
On the second sidereal day of the trip , we branch out from Austin ’s concrete jungle and reach the hills . Merging onto the highway , our vibrant fleet catches the attention of our fellow driver , though we ’re several substructure below eye level for those in more standard vehicle . the great unwashed upchuck and wave , and passengers whip out phones to snap a exposure , all while we press down hard on the accelerators , palpate the wind whiplash through our helmets .
After we exit the highway , it ’s light to seeTexas Hill Country ’s magnetic appeal . Winding road crisscross the landscape , uncover epic view of the Austin skyline around every hairpin round . I ’ll admit , as a power sports beginner , I was nervous at first — I’ve never even ridden shotgun on a motorcycle , let alone piloted one myself , and my day - to - day Jeep Renegade keep me lift and protect from the elements . But each Swedish mile in the Slingshot makes me more comfortable , and feeling the calculator - trigger off gearstick beneath my feet is infectiously elating .
“ Where do our client get along from ? Why are they buying Slingshot ? ” expect Seargant . “ The number one reason is style , what it look like and the attending it gets you . ” However , he adds , “ The 2d most important reason is an undefended - line cockpit — you see everything . There ’s a quote from back in 2020 I wish to say , that bird are even prettier in a Slingshot , because you just find way more than when you ’re driving in the air - condition moving living elbow room that is your car . You ’re side - by - side . ”
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
Sergeant is n’t exaggerate . As we channelise around curves in the lucullan hillside , nature feels closer than ever . bird rustle in the tree , chipmunks dart across the route ahead , and the sun ’s rays finger less oppressive , go down into dance step with the frizzy wind swirling around the cockpit . Miranda Lambert makes a return , her crooning song and drive beat a fitting soundtrack for the leisurely weekend ride .
After a abbreviated point - off for lunch at a lakefront eatery just outdoors of Austin , we ’re on our own , give the option to retrovert to the hotel separately , no longer caravanning through the Lone Star State as a maneuver group . I steel myself for the solo journeying — did I mention I was n’t much of a king sports person?—but after a few hour on the opened route , my only company the GPS competing with the sound of surrounding wildlife , I comfort into my bucket seat and let myself take it all in .
By the sentence I roll out up to the hotel a few hours later , I have one important interrogative on my judgement : How do I get one of these for myself ?
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
For those of us ineffective to purchase a Slingshot of our own — whether it ’s the $ 20,000 - plus cost tag , lack of secure parking , or , in my case , a married woman I ’m certain wo n’t be convinced — there ’s the rental market . vaporize into just about any major metropolitan country in America , and you ’ve got a choice between book a generic sedan , drop a bit more cash for a high - destruction convertible security or SUV , brave public transportation , or taking your probability with cab and rideshare apps . Or , as it turns out , you may rent a Slingshot , inevitably transforming a boring onetime business sector tripper orfamily vacationinto an adrenaline - fuel dangerous undertaking .
“ A fourth of our owner are daily driver , this is their commuter vehicle — when it ’s sunny out , they just go to work , ” Sergeant notes . “ The balance of them go on either multi - day or mean solar day stumble , go out , cruise , accept lunch , having an overnight with whoever . It ’s really a fomite to get out and receive the route , just being outside . ”
Slingshot ’s shiny new 2022 lineupincludes six dissimilar example , ranging from the introductory S grade ( purchase price starts at $ 20,799 for auto drive ) all the way up to the souped - up Signature LE ( $ 35,799 and up for machine driving ) . Each is design to be extremely customizable , a feature that adds an extra layer of excitement for tenant , as you never know what you ’re go to get . From a huge array of vividness to add - ons like ceiling attachments , undercarriage gleaming ignition , and impressively brawny sound recording systems , it ’s difficult to find two fomite that await and feel the same .
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
Polaris ’s site lists74 Slingshot Adventure operators in the US , circulate out between guided tours , self - guided tours , and standalone rental agency . They ’re predominantly available in temperate climates with sizable paved roads , since Slingshots do n’t provide much in the way of life of insulation and tribute from the elements , permit alone heating , air conditioning , or snow tires .
Six operators callFloridahome , offering chance to search Orlando , Tampa , Cocoa Beach , St. Augustine , Clearwater , and even Cape Canaveral via your own open - air roadster . The outdoorsy set can take reward of seasonal operators inColorado ’s rugged mountain landscape , with frontier settlement in Grand Lake , Woodland Park , and Minturn ( just opine those selfies ) . If you ’re look to pink something off your bucketful list , bothHawaiiandAlaskacan hook you up with a Slingshot to think of — Hawaii , in particular , lays claim to a whopping 18 tour and rental caller .
But it ’s not all beaches and snow - crest vistas . Big city have also joined the flock , fromChicagotoLos AngelestoNew York . Wherever you terminate up , you ’re never far from jumping into the driver ’s seat . Just do n’t forget the sunblock .
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
Photo courtesy of Polaris Slingshot
