I’ve spent some time with the 2022 Polaris Slingshot SL over the past week and will say that it’s an interesting vehicle to drive daily. It’s as easy to drive as a car, but it’s loud and rev-happy like a motorcycle. It is an autocycle, after all. But after getting a decent amount of experience with the Slingshot, I’ve come up with three pros and cons of driving it on a daily basis.

Pro: The Polaris Slingshot has a unique look that gets some attention

I’m not usually a fan of getting stared at when sitting at stoplights, but when driving the Polaris Slingshot, it happens. Curious onlookers standing on the side of the street or crossing it will inevitably stare and point at you. Other drivers stare as they cross the intersection or pull up next to you.

It’s something that I ended up getting used to. By the end of the week, I found myself pulling up to stoplights and betting to myself how many reactions I could get. In the end, I counted the attention as a people-watching activity as opposed to feeling awkward about it.

Con: It’s not very fuel efficient

According to Autotrader, the Slingshot can get around 23 to 33 mpg on average. I only filled the 9-gallon tank once and didn’t make it through to test the gas mileage. But I did notice that the fuel gauge drops quickly. It went from reading 220 miles to 190 in less than a day of driving when I knew I didn’t drive 30 miles.

Of course, I was mainly doing city driving with stop-and-go driving, so I’m sure that didn’t help. Either way, don’t expect hybrid-like mileage out of the Slingshot’s 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine.

Pro: The Slingshot is fun to drive with high-revving four-cylinder engine

Speaking of the autocycle’s engine, the naturally aspirated powerplant that sits under the Slingshot’s elongated hood puts out 178 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque. It redlines at 8,500 rpm, so you have to wring it out to really get anywhere, but once you do, it’s a lot of fun.  

My Slingshot SL tester was outfitted with a five-speed manual transmission, making the experience much more fun. The shifter is smoother, and the clutch engagement is easy and precise, making selecting my gears a joyful time. Also, revving the engine up to redline made the rear wheel step out a few times, which was fun in the corners.

Con: There’s not much storage space

Any practical daily driver should have adequate storage space to put groceries and other cargo. The Slingshot only has a cargo bin behind each seat, which is good enough for a light grocery store run. But if you need to carry more than a couple of bags, you’ll have to use the passenger seat area. However, stuff could fly out while in transit if you do that. Just be warned, there is no trunk onboard.

Pro: It has a Rockford Fosgate sound system

The Polaris Slingshot SL comes equipped with a 100-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system with automatic volume control. It’s a neat feature to have, but it was a little hard to hear through my full-face helmet and the loud engine noise. Most of the time, I had the radio off so I could concentrate on driving, but the upgraded audio system was a nice touch.

Con: You can’t park it in small spaces

My main gripe with the Slingshot is that, although it’s stable like a car, you can’t park it in small places like a motorcycle. It’s not that big of a deal, but considering you’re spending over $20,000, it would be nice to have some kind of versatility. Otherwise, you might as well buy a motorcycle.

Daily driving the Polaris Slingshot has its pros and cons

While there are pros to driving a Polaris Slingshot every day, there are also a few cons. It’s fun to drive and gets a good amount of attention, but it’s also somewhat impractical. I can really only recommend driving it for short stints as well since the rigid suspension might not be good for long drives. Otherwise, I do recommend the Slingshot if you want something unique and fun but don’t want to ride a motorcycle.