Car and Driver - USA (2020-04)

THE RUNDOWN

Enigma Machine

Significantly improved but no less bizarre, the
three-wheel Slingshot still perplexes us.

The original Polaris Slingshot, launched in 2014 , was an oddity—a
three-wheel Batmobile-looking two-seater that wasn’t fully sure
of its mission. Was it a motorcycle surrogate? A stripped-down
sports car? Did you need a motorcycle license or what?
Nobody really knew, least of all Polaris, so it hedged its bets
and saved some money by powering the Slingshot with General
Motors’ lazy-rev ving Ecotec 2. 4-liter inline-four. For the 2020
Z\QRYfRN_=\YN_VUN¼[NYYfNQQ_R`RQaUNaQVN]]\V[aZR[a
with an 8500 -rpm 2.0 -liter inline-four designed in-house for the
Slingshot. This peak y little spindizzy, dubbed Prostar, matches
the Slingshot’s sport-bike-inspired attitude.
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transmission, adding heft and arriving at a nicely notchy action.
.:NT[RaV:N_RYYV¼cR]RRQNba\ZNaRQZN[bNYUNW\V[RQaUR
lineup, too, but the AutoDrive transmission, as it’s called, is the
best argument yet for learning to drive a stick. Remember when
Ferrari used to quote shift times for its automated manuals in
ZVYYVRP\[Q,AUV\[Rd\bYQ[RRQNQVßR_R[ab[Va\SZRNbR-
ment. Like milliminutes. Or epochs.
Once you strap on your helmet,
the Slingshot promises a good time.
DUVYRaUR¼aTR[R_NaV\[_R^bV_RQ frequent steering corrections to fol- low a straight line, the 2020 model a_NPXa_NVTUaN[QaNXRNP[¼QR[a
set in corners. And the new engine,
when paired with the manual in the
203-hp R model, is a blast, explod-
ing above 6000 rpm with a frenetic
¼gga\_RQYV[RDRaVYYPN[μaRe]YNV[ exactly what a Slingshot is, except aUNaaUV[Rd[RVNVT[V¼PN[aYf
more polished and more fun three-
wheel enigma.

2020 POLARIS SLINGSHOT ~ BY EZRA DYER

the numbers

Vehicle Type: front-engine,

rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger,

0-door roadster

Base ....... $26,499–$30,999

Engines: DOHC 16-valve

2.0-liter inline-4, 178 or 203

hp, 120 or 144 lb-ft

Transmissions: 5-speed

manual, 5-speed automated

manual

Dimensions

• Wheelbase ................. 105.0 in


• L/W/H ....... 149.6/78.0/51.9 in


• Curb Weight .... 1650–1700 lb
  Performance (C/D est)


• 60 mph ................ 5.0–6.0 sec


• 1/4-Mile ............ 14.0–15.0 sec


• Top Speed .................

TURBOLICIOUS

Two-stroke engines aren’t dead. Well, they

might be in cars, but they’re more alive than

ever in snowmobiles. Forget the smoke-

spewing, spark-plug-fouling, expletive-

inducing engines of the past. Bombardier’s

Rotax engine division builds modern two-

strokes that are clean, efficient, and power-

ful. Our previous exposure to the brand’s

165-hp 849-cc inline-twin left us glowing. But

that was near sea level. In the booming high-

altitude mountain-snowmobile segment, the

naturally-aspirated-engine struggle is real.

Thin air turns heroes into zeros, sapping

roughly 3 percent of horsepower every 1000

vertical feet. To combat altitude sickness,

Ski-Doo fits a turbocharger to this $18,099

Summit. It’s the first factory gas-fed two-

stroke turbo engine, and Ski-Doo claims

the entire system adds only 10 pounds. The

target isn’t to bump power but to maintain

165 horses up to 8000 feet.

Above that altitude, on Yellowstone’s Two

Top Mountain, the turbo model still outshines

its unboosted sibling, its track more eager to

saw through a story’s worth of fresh powder.

A two-tract intake feeds atmospheric air until

6000 rpm and then delivers up to 4.0 psi of

boost. While that may seem late, when you’re

riding the Summit, 6000 to 8000 rpm is the

normal operating range. And that’s how a

2020 SKI-DOO SUMMIT 850 E-TEC TURBO

~ BY DAVID BEARD

78 APRIL 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIVER