The New Polaris Slingshot Has a High-Revving Four-Cylinder

 image

The new Polaris Slingshot is here, and the big news is that for the first time, it offers an automated transmission. What caught our attention, though, is the engine. The old Slingshot used the 2.4-liter GM Ecotec four-cylinder from the Pontiac Solstice—this one gets a new Polaris-designed engine making impressive numbers.

In the base Slingshot SL, this new 2.0-liter twin-cam four makes 178 horsepower at a heady 8500 rpm, while in the hotter R model, it makes 203 hp at 8250 rpm. It's nice to see in a world where high-revving automotive four-cylinders have become a rarity. The only other engine like it in production is the Mazda Miata's 2.0-liter, which serves up 181 horsepower and revs to 7500 rpm. 

image
 
This new Polaris engine doesn't quite match the Honda S2000's legendary 240-hp, 9000-rpm F20C four-cylinder, but at least it's in production today. We hope Polaris sells this as a crate engine—it'd fit perfectly in a Caterham, or something of the like. 

Polaris says 70 percent of the Slingshot is new for 2020, though the look and three-wheel concept remain the same. The new AutoDrive transmission is actually a five-speed manual that shifts automatically with hydraulic actuation. It should help broaden the appeal of the Slingshot, though you can still get the R model with a proper five-speed manual. 

Pricing starts at $26,499 for the SL AutoDrive, while a manual R is $30,999 and an AutoDrive R is $32,699. Ordering starts now, with deliveries expected to begin this spring.

image


0 comments:

Post a Comment