Polaris Slingshot Review – Is It Any Good At Drifting?

The Polaris Slingshot is a singularly unique vehicle that is like nothing else on the road. Its two wheels up front and one in the back design gives it an eye-catching quality that even the supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren would struggle to match. So, yes, the Slingshot looks good, but does it drive as well as it looks? Or to put it more bluntly, is the Polaris Slingshot any fun? Of course, that depends on what you mean by fun.

For some people, fun means bombing down a straightaway with the pedal to the metal. For others, it might mean taking a car to a twisty racetrack to give the suspension and steering a full workout. But for a special group of people, driving fun means one thing: going sideways. Really sideways. If extreme drifting is your idea of fun then you should book the Polaris Slingshot for rental as soon as you get the chance. That is because the Polaris Slingshot is an underrated drifting hero.

The Design Of The Polaris Slingshot

The unique design of the Slingshot might not seem like it would be good at drifting, but looks, as they say, can be deceiving. The three-wheeled vehicle is powered by a GM 173 HP engine that is a slightly modified version of the engine that has seen duty in cars like the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice. That might not sound like much, but what matters is not the number of horses, but the power to weight ratio. Since the Slingshot is a fairly light vehicle, the power to weight ratio is quite high, which gives it a nice zippy feeling.

All of that power goes to the rear tire since the Slingshot is a rear-wheel drive vehicle like the majority of performance vehicles. That is because rear-wheel drive cars have superior acceleration and handling compared to front-wheel drive cars. Superior acceleration is definitely something that you get from the Slingshot, but you also get a machine that is surprisingly great at drifting as well.

Why The Slingshot Is Good At Drifting

The way that the weight is distributed in the Slingshot means that there is hardly any weight over the rear tire. That, plus the power to weight ratio, means that the Slingshot is very good at drifting. Those drifts seem to last for hours on end and if you go really crazy you can even get some serious doughnuts going. Fortunately, those drifts are pretty easy to control, so you won’t end up doing a perfectly executed doughnut every time you try to turn a corner. The Slingshot can get wild, but it isn’t reckless.

It has traction and stability control for everyday driving, so if you want to keep the tail in check, you can. But if you want to have fun—in a safe environment away from the traffic of course—then take off the traction leash and let the Slingshot run wild. The rear swings out like Shakira’s hips and lets you pull off powerslides that you thought only an expert drift champion could perform. So, to answer the question, yes the Slingshot is good at drifting, and when you drive it, so will you.

Don’t Miss Your Chance To Get Sideways In a Polaris Slingshot

The Slingshot is hardly a car for the introvert, not when it comes to looks and certainly not when it comes to how it drives. This vehicle demands attention even when you don’t, but it is still well-behaved. It might be a drift monster, but it is a monster that you can control. If you think that owning one might be too much for you, then book a Polaris Slingshot for a rental so that you can unleash the monster for yourself.