But while the Morgan offers relatively easy ingress due to its roofless design (and the Slingshot even more so), the T-Rex challenges limberness by forcing a body to climb through and under a roll cage. The other price to pay for a higher-performance three-wheeled sports car is its dedication to lightness, which mandated a tidy footprint and, hence, a tight cockpit, though not nearly as cramped laterally as the Morgan 3-Wheeler we tested a couple of years ago. To those who decry the Slingshot’s PWC-like build quality and pedestrian powertrain, here’s the retort – and its attendant surcharge. Those who saw my recent review of the latest top-line Slingshot SLR will notice it’s half the price of the T-Rex. We tested the 16SP version, which adds adjustable dampers with remote reservoirs, a shorter-turn rack-and-pinion steering rack, uprated brakes and special wheels for an MSRP of $63,999. The MSRP for the T-Rex 16S starts at $57,999, and it’s a wild-looking vehicle (autocycle is the latest descriptor and a term adopted by 40 states, says Polaris’ Slingshot crew) powered by BMW’s wonderfully whooping inline-six-cylinder motor claiming 160 hp at its crankshaft from its 1649cc. Of course, like all great things, there’s a price to pay for the privilege. The visually arresting T-Rex isn’t practical or cheap, but driving it is the most fun you can have on three tires while holding a steering wheel. In fact, if anyone ever reviews one of these and doesn’t take it on a really twisty road, their findings will be worthless to anyone with a sporting bone in their body. That, as it turned out, was a smart choice, as the T-Rex is one of the most exhilarating motor vehicles you can aim down the road – the twistier, the better. Okay, so it’s got a steering wheel and bucket seats, but it’s classified as a motorcycle in many states, and we weren’t going to turn down a chance to drive a lightweight three-wheeled car powered by a six-cylinder engine from BMW’s K1600 touring platform.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |