The Polaris Slingshot lineup has a new top dog. Called the Signature LE, it flexes flashy looks and features rather than performance. That starts with the only exterior color package available at the moment, called Crimson Forge. A first for the model, this dresses the ‘Shot up in a tri-tone paint job that features metallic black and red with limited-edition bronze accents. The wheels are foremost among the accents, tasty bronze multi-spokes for the twin 18-inchers in front and the single 20-inch wheel in back. Elsewhere outside, full LED lighting frames vented fenders and the vented fiberglass hood introduced for the 2022 model year. Dark badging on the black hood backs up the intense attitude.
The cockpit is ready to shine day and night with an XKGlow light kit. LED units glow in the full RGB spectrum along the center console, in the footwells, and under the seats. Their pulsations can be customized in the Slingshot app, one possible trick being to time them to sounds emerging from the Stage 3 Rockford Fosgate audio system. Strange that Polaris didn’t put the lighting controls in the seven-inch Ride Command touchscreen, but the infotainment hub is good for accessing navigation with weather and traffic, plus Apple CarPlay. On the luxury side, climate controlled seats with contrasting red stitching boost the cozy factor for an open cockpit lacking traditional HVAC.
The engine is the Slingshot’s base unit, a 2.0-liter ProStar four-cylinder with 178 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque. Buyers who want the 203 hp of the Slingshot SLR and R trims can buy the $599 Stage 1 tune from Polaris, but they’ll still be down on the other trims’ 144 lb-ft.
The Slingshot Signature LE will reach dealers not long from now. Fitted with a five-speed manual transmission, pricing starts at $34,999 before a $900 “logistics surcharge,” for a total of $35,899. The five-speed AutoDrive transmission takes that figure to $37,649.
