Ok if your looking to learn something or experience something that will change your perspective on the world this ride will NOT do that for you. However, if your looking to have fun on a cool ride this is an excellent choice. The concept is simple sling you around some turns then go really fast. Rode Test Track with my 10 yr old son. He absolutely loved it! In fact we discovered the single rider line and rode 6 more times in about 40 min. As fast as we could get from the exit to the line we got back on. Just remember its a "thrill ride" not a classroom and you will be fine.
Very disappointed in Epcot. The new test track is horrible. The wait is no longer entertaining and fun. They took away the test dummies, crashed looking vehicles, etc, and the "feeling" of being in an actually car testing facility. The lights and LED decorations are cheesy and ridiculous. Never wasting my time to ride this again.
Oh wow. Wow, wow wow. I was wary of the threat this ride posed prior to going to Epcot, having read all the negative press 2.0's been getting, but I did not see it being this bad in real life. How on Earth was a project like this green-lighted? Okay, let's look at a few 'criteria' this refurbishment needed to pass: 1 - Educational. After all, Epcot's primary function is to serve as an informative park, with attractions that provide you with information on concepts of society today. 2.0 feels like it's TRYING to convey some kind of technological advancement, but it's hardly explained and most guests are just left wondering what the hell they just endured. Maybe if they flash their fancy Tron lights at you some more you'll learn something. VERDICT: 3/10, Fail 2 - Engaging. Part of what made the old version so brilliant was its relatable story that never got boring. I mean, who doesn't want to be in the heart of a car-testing facility and effectively put in the position of a crash dummy?! Every section felt like it really was part of what cars are put through. 2.0's storyline sees a car's test being 'simulated' in some kind of digital facility called 'On-Star', with our role as riders unclear: are we Sims in a SimCar? Older audiences can't possibly relate to the high-tech over-the-top digital referencing that consequently loses most of the audience. Maybe Disney wanted to keep little ones happy on this thrill ride...The less said about the completely uninspired showroom queue (almost like the queue area was put in what used to be the back section you walked out through) the better. VERDICT: 4/10, Fail 3 - Timeless. This one's a bit dubious, but surely any 'update' on a ride in Future World will need to last a while. That's partly why the old version's demise is so hard to understand: what was wrong with it? Why did Disney feel the need for the upgrade; were people really that bored of it? 2.0 already seems dated for Christ's sake, with Tron already a timeworn enterprise. MK's Tomorrowland, for example, Imagineers knew the whole area was looking dated, but they reimagined it as 'a view of the future from the 40s and 50s'. Old TT didn't show a sign of ageing yet, as car-testing is very much prominent today. SimCars and neon lights? Sigh. VERDICT: 4/10, Fail 4 - Disneyesque. Future World already has little in way of Disney-like ambiance; so making a ride so beyond anything like the magic of MK and traditional rides does little to help that. Okay that probably isn't a priority, but the old version did at least have some occasional Disneyesque humour like in the briefing room and testing scenes in the queue. However, one can argue that Walt himself was a visionary of the future, and so maybe he himself would have approved this upgrade, seeing it as progress. VERDICT: 5/10, Pass. Just. 5 - Believable. It isn't. Sorry but it just isn't. The design studio is neat and fun for kids but the reality is that none of us will ever see those kind of vehicles on the road in our lifetimes. Moreover the whole concept is so underwhelming, so unexplained, that you just come out of it thinking "was that supposed to be what car-testing is like?" I sure as heck hope car testing hasn't been reduced to computerised simulations, or I'm never getting in a car anytime soon. Not a Chevy anyway. VERDICT: 1/10, Fail. So, sorry 2.0, but you just don't cut it. Maybe some of us are just being harsh on you because you used to be such an awesome and unique ride, maybe your design was so rushed due to popular demand for your return, or maybe it's because you're actually the worst piece of rubbish I've seen Disney produce in a long time. What a shame, big loss for Epcot.
Wait time 110 mins, entry music was on loop made the wait time feel twice as long, not what i would call inovative... ride was ok, it was fun to see your competition scores at the end of each test. The fast part was exhilarating but felt too short. Overall i would never wait more than 30 mins to ride it, and i have no desire to ride it again.
I don't know why everyone is like "bring back the old one" or "these lights are so cheesy" because I think it is really cool. I also love the car-building part of the line. -P.S. I think it is better than the old one because it is in Future World and now that it looks more futuristic I think it is better for the theme.
Aesthetically, the new version is spectacular. It LOOKS like something that belongs in a place called Future World. The queue is engaging, visually pleasing, and modern. The design studio element is a nice touch. Some may wish it played into the new ride a little more, but they really did the best they could. Only low point is the section that used to house the heat, cold, and corrossive chambers. That area feels like it needed just a little more. All the speed, G forces, and fun of the old track are still there. Absolutely love it!
I was SO disappointed! The old test track was my favorite thing about Epcot, so I couldn't wait to try the new one. It was such a let down to have no hot and cold rooms, and no bumpy road test! It was basically just driving a car through a dark room with cheesy lights. I miss the old one!! :-(
When compared to the old Test Track, this one is awful. The ride track reminds of the old one, and how bad of a mistake Disney made refurbishing it. All aspects of the ride are total letdowns from the original. The queue has next to nothing to look at, as the inanimate cars get boring. The design thing is pretty fun, but bottlenecks the stand-by line and really could've done better as an exhibit at Innoventions or a post show experience on the old test track. The ride itself is lacking, as the entire idea of a "digital testing ground" theme is very cheesy, hardly explained, and way too fanciful for Epcot. The interior part looks like a laser-tag arena, with black lights and cardboard-cutout objects everywhere. No more bumpy roads or hot and cold rooms or detail. The exterior is the same as the original, just with re-themed road signs, and is still fun. However, the whole jump from the "digital" test ground to the real world was unexplained and kind of disappointing to see an area of the ride so untouched as compared to the rest, like Disney skipped over it. The post show is lacking as well, with no exhibits, just commercial designing (which is OK), racing designs (which is AWFUL), and the showroom/gift shop. Overall, this update really has brought more bad then good, as this version is awful compared to the original. However, the designing and fast part are fun, but other than that, very disappointing. Hope Disney brings it back to the way it was.
I loved this ride since i was five. Im not thirteen and i dont like how this ride is now. I loved all te props and the styles. Especially the line. The old line was much better. Not the new line is boring. At least to make it better, they should make te ride go 70 mph with a different, longer track. And more tests. And more styles for the sim car.
The original GM Test Track was my favorite amusement park ride due to its excellent combination of theme and thrills (not superlative in either category but the mix was just right for me). This new Vectrex-inspired "virtual" version was a real let down and were it not for the familiar high speed run at the end I would no longer be able to recommend this ride to anyone. The old ride's mechanical feel felt perfect in the original setting but is now jarringly contrasted by the black-n'-bright TRON graphics slathered all over everything that was simply not interesting to look at. The tractor trailer head-on is still there but the glowing outline it's been reduced to was underwhelming to say the least. I was hoping that the revamped ride would have better real world props, vehicle tests, and backgrounds but instead we got a fairly boring ride set in a cyber-cave. Test Track is tolerable as it is now but it used to be great.
There is no reason for the change at test track. Just because GM went bankrupt does not mean you have to ruin a perfectly good ride. They should have just replaced the mention of GM to Chevy, then updated the ride vehicles. No, they had to destroy a perfectly good ride. By destroying test track, there are hardly any attractions worthwhile at EPCOT.
As frequent Disney goers, we were so disappointed in the new TT update. TT used to be our family's absolute favorite attraction. We used to deliberate whether to fast pass TT or Soarin' upon arrival to Epcot. TT usually won. Now there is no deliberation necessary. The new TT ride feels cheap and uninspiring. Just not up to Disney standards! We miss the old TT.
A FEW SPOILERS BELOW SO DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW A FEW DETAILS ABOUT THE RIDE!My wife and 13 year-old daughter just got back from Disney World. We loved the old Test Track and after reading many of the reviews on this forum I was very skeptical to say the least about TT 2.0. I even suggested to my wife before we went that we may want to skip this ride all together as it was going to be a long wait and a horrible ride based on what I had read. Well, maybe it was my extreme low expectations, but I actually felt the new Test Track was not as bad as everyone made it seem.We usually get Fast Passes for this ride, but this time we couldn't as we already had Fast Passes for Soarin'. I was dreading waiting in the stand-by line as I remember the long waits from the old Test Track. We got in line around noon, pretty busy day at Epcot, and were in our car on the ride in less than 30 minutes. Pretty good if you ask me.I did enjoy the old crash test dummy stuff to look at during the wait. Looking at a fancy car that did nothing was a bit of a bore.Once in the create a car room I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for a kid to do and my daughter loved "building" her own car. I wasn't quite sure how this all tied in with the ride until I got on the ride and even then, after they rated how your car did it wasn't clear to me how it was done or was it just a random set of scores that they gave your car to compare to others. Again, my daughter liked it so no harm no foul. I could easily see how this whole create a car room could be a bottleneck for this ride making the wait time longer than necessary but the two times we went on this ride, both in the stand-by line, we did not wait more than 30 min.As for the ride itself. It was not as good as the old TT (I liked the blocks (German and Belgian) as well as the hot and cold extreme temps), but at least they kept the familiar semi and, of course, the 65mph loop outside. And yes, On-Star was lame.My wife liked it probably about the same as me and she did not read any of these reviews before going on but my daughter loved it way more than the TT 1.0
The refurbishment was disappointing, we used to love the old test track, the concept of the older one was better and felt more real, the new one feels like your in some fake unrealistic virtual world, my whole family agrees that the new test track is terrible.
Now it's just a lights show. Arguably one of the greatest rides in Epcot, if not the entire resort, has been completely scrapped and destroyed - and I mean completely. There are reviewers here who are saying all the props are gone, and they're right: all we have now are lights, lights, lights and obnoxious neon, and if it weren't for the actual track layout itself, you'd think you were on a whole new ride. And you are. Chevrolet and Disney completely missed the mark on this 'update'. It doesn't even live up to its name anymore - it's not about 'testing' cars, it's about designing some ridiculous contraption that none of us will ever see on a road, at least in our lifetime, and the actual test only forms a tiny section. Real cars aren't put through this anymore; I'd imagine that the whole design part of car testing takes up about 10% of the overall project, and that's what we have here. The old ride didn't need stupid designs; it put you right where you wanted to be: in the heart of the action, with a strong, relatable storyline. Now, with 2.0, it's harder to relate to, particularly for the older audience. It's too technological and trying to be too clever, and there's no story - what's the point in us, the riders? All we're doing is sitting in some SimCar that's going through a test. We're not experiencing anything. Sigh. The fact that the track is the same actually makes me sad, because it reminds me of what an incredible and unique ride this was. I just can't understand why Disney thought this needed an update; it was so fun, so unique, so worth the wait. Everyone seemed to love it. Now, I'm not even sure I'll ever ride it again. World of Motion would have been better than this.
The new TT is a total let down. The old one was much better. All the adults and kids with our party were very disappointed. It was not designed with children in mind. The coolest part about the old wait line was all of the sounds and crash dummies. Now it's just a line. The ride itself was boring and unmemorable. I don't know what Disney was thinking.
i understand why a lot of lovers of the (now pop-culture-extinct) crash test dummies are miffed at change; however as someone who works in technology, I feel like they've better captured the spirit of engineering and help to explain (especially to young guests) all the tradeoffs that go into designing a new product. Yes the queue could use more scenery beyond the chevy ads and interactive kiosks, but it's definitely less boring than the Soarin' queue. My only gripe is that while the elements of science are alive in the refurb, there's really not enough "story" to tie it all together. I had heard that they toyed with a legit Tron concept briefly but opted for this more "tron-inspired art direction" approach instead. Too bad as that could have really added a more cinematic/story-driven feel to everything. The ride itself is great! huge grins on everyone in our car, especially once you get outside. Definitely worth a fast pass to avoid the long lines.
The new version of test track is a total let-down. The build your own car section in the queue is cool, but once I figured out the ride is the same standard one for everyone set in a ridiculous lighting/set design that completely abandons its roots as a test vehicle, I was immensely disappointed. I think Disney needs to go back to the drawing board, and now that everyone has had their chance to ride it, good luck getting repeat visitors. What a let-down.
Usually Disney does everything right - unfortunately, the "new" Test Track is all wrong ! I assumed Disney would improve and upgrade the elements of the original ride. I assumed wrong. I enjoyed the "test car" experience. The new Test Track has nothing to do with a "test car" experience. The ride should be renamed "TRON" (that's what it reminds me of) - and should be avoided. I want the original Test Track back !
[preface] I love WDW. I have no recollection of ever not being a Disney-oholic in my 40+ years. The humidity, the price, and the long lines can't get me down one lick when I'm there. I'm an unabashed Disney gusher with a built-in default setting that "Disney is innocent until proven guilty". So... in the hundreds of tough decisions WDW must make each year, there are only a handful of changes that WDW got what I'd call wrong over the decades. They have an impressive instinct to balance keeping "what's old but loved and still works" against the need to keep the park growing, changing and improving with the times. But... [/preface] this change was a big bummer for me. If I have to describe the change in a single word it would be "forced." It felt like change for change's sake. At first glance, I even "liked" the look that reminded me of Tron (and I do LOVE Tron), but it didn't make sense here at all. The original Test Track "made sense." We were "crash test dummies" on what at least felt like a pre-production performance test. But, now? We're... what? On a test track in the future (or is it on a different planet) observing how they test their cars? Why would such a high-tech society need such low-tech practical testing? When I was in the part of the track where the heat and cold tests once took place, all I could think of was "I don't know where I am now exactly, but this used to be the hot and cold testing rooms". I just couldn't "unthink" it. The 18-wheeler is still there? So, super-tech civilizations still need truckers? As unpopular as this may sound, it would make far more sense to have just taken it a bit further and made it an actual Tron lightcycle ride. I'd have had more respect for them demolishing it (cringing) and making something totally new... that made sense. Even unimaginative, uncreative people can spot when they're looking at something unimaginative, unoriginal and forced. Imagine how that makes those of us who ARE imaginative feel when looking at the same thing. I don't immediately hold the Imagineers responsible (without more information) because I have a gut feeling this rotten idea was pushed on them and they were told to just make it work. Working in a creativity-demanding career myself, one gets an instinct about this sort of thing, when the guy with the money and bad taste can't hand control over to the guy who knows better. I can always imagine that quintessential, self-important wealthy know-it-all with a voice like Disney's villain Pete saying, "dis is what I pitcher in my brains what we should make. Yous writin' dis down dere?" *shudders* The problem is over-involvement from outsider sponsors, rides that serve as commercials. It need not be so so destructive, otherwise the original Test Track would not have existed, obviously. So, handled correctly, and the creative minds allowed to work unconstrained, it can be successful. However, what I see here is either (A) Chevrolet's meddling penetrating into the creative development resulting in a big stinker or (B) Chevrolet only justifying the expense on the basis the ride be changed but only so far as a limited, inexpensive, superficial redress and Disney was (unfortunately) hard-up and acquiesced. So, these results serve as a good argument against impure sponsorship intrusions. Oh well, I also have a gut feeling this version won't stand long. Or is it just wishful thinking?
Right after the ride opened there were some technical difficulties resulting in many negative reviews. All kinks have been worked out resulting in a masterpiece! The design stage is very fun and interactive (especially with a magic band) while the ride is not all that different, the new theme works better with EPCOT. A don't miss thrill ride!
The new Chevrolet Test Track is a 'Wait In Line Nightmare'. One of the longest serpentine lines I've ever been in. When you are in line right after it opens and the wait time is 1 hour and even before you get into the building it has increased to 2 hours this is total Bull Manure. Shame on the Disney Imagineering Team that put this thing in place! Instead of a Single Rider Line or Fast Pass there should be a By Pass Line to not go into the car design hold up. The longest line at Cedar Point for Millennium Force is 3 times faster than this FIASCO! My grandson in the past just came out the exit, back into the building, short wait - on ride up to 11 times one visit. Sooooooo folks take heed - pack a lunch and get ready to sloooooooooowly proceed through this line before you actually ride on Test Track.
I looooved the old version! ...the new version is sooooo last season. Come on, that's just glow in the dark spray paint and lights! It's obvious that the old version is better. There was a story that was understandable...but now it's like you're heading into the future for no reason just to test cars. I asked my whole family and they like the old version better.
Before Test Track 2.0, this ride was one of the greatest! I liked the personality with the guy's voice. I loved the props and how much work was put into this :) Then some weirdo decided that this ride should be more technical and people need to learn more from this ride. So they turned this into a light show getting rid of ALL the props. The only fun part was when the car sped up really fast. Now this is just a dull ride with computers, projections, and a guy's ominously dull voice. They took the test track out of test track. :(
It started with world of motion, then Test Track, now Test Track 2.0 is here. First off what I like most about this update is that it has a totally interactive element rather than just sitting there and watching some cardboard cutouts whirl by. This brings up essence of Horizons' old choose your ending format, and adds your own touch to the ride. People complain sometimes about focusing too much on interaction. Too much? To me at least a trip to disney is a trip away from the real world. I like to feel a part of a different world, the touches, smells, sights, tastes, sounds all of it! I n other words I wanna be something more than a test dummy! Next of all, I'd like to compliment the updated scenery. The cardboard just wasn't doing it for me I'm sorry. The entire course just looked so hastily put together, and the lighting was somewhat bad. This is also my complaint about the Rockn'Rollercoaster, but coasters have the excuse of going too fast to really flesh out the scenery anyway. There are some neat effects in there now some illusions, a model city reminding me of the good old world of motion, and that cool lightning. I'm also a Tron fan so I really like the glowy stuff. It feels like your in a computer world, like its a simulation and your car is projected over a dummy car. Although this could have made a nice light cycle ride.... The old ride without the end scene (as was mentioned on E82), was very much like the new Imagination ride. Just a tour of minimalistic theming, but with a bit of speed thrown in. I'm also glad they got rid of the old hosts. Sorry, but the guy was just soo annoying he was nearly gloating about ABS even though their an old concept at this point. The girl wasn't bad. I like the new robots they have doing the voices now. I would have preferred sam and Quorra narrating a light cycle ride but I digress. (Quorra rules!) The post show area is amazing. It is a little bit reminiscant of the old image works not entirely so but hey, It makes this place a pavillion and not just a ride. Very more WOM then you think. What I don't like however is that the cars are still obviously and painfully late 90s models, with their clunky "almost streamlined but not quite" appearance. I'm glad they don't look like Bubble domes like the civic or the prius but they could at least make them resemble something out of say iRobot or something. I also don't like the fact that it breaks down as much as it always did. Sigh. All In all TT2.0 is a pretty decent for a modern upgrade. IT feels like the old epcot, stars on the roofs, effects around every corner, and you may actually (gasp!) learn something about aerodynamics and car design!!
The GM edition of Test Track was a great version. After GM went bankrupt, Chevrolet stepped in on sponsorship and now we have this travesty. The big draw for this version of the ride is that you create your design vehicle and see how well it is compared to your fellow riders. The issue is that your design is never synced up to your on ride vehicle. Thus, designing a vehicle is basically worthless. After the ride, you can compare designs with your friends, but the point was to see your design on ride. The entire attraction now contains colored lights on the walls instead of the working systems in the GM edition. Chevrolet even had to thrown in an OnStar product placement on the ride as well. What is sad is that we are going to have this version for a long time.
What an awful update, it doesn't make any sense. Before you knew the tests you were going through like when you entered through the cold and hot chambers, now you don't even know where the heck you are. I was expecting more, big disappointment, sorry Disney Imagineers but you completely failed this time.
They ruined this ride. This used to be one of my family's favorites but not anymore. There is nothing interesting to look at while waiting in line. Designing your car was kind of fun but takes too long. Plus trying to get your party of three to agree on the specs is difficult. Then the ride itself is boring! There is NOTHING to look at during the ride. Just a bunch of neon lights in darkness. Yes there are many things to do with your designed car after the ride but there are lines for this stuff. Frankly I was so let down after the ride I just wanted to move on and try to forget about it. I am in disbelief that disney thinks this is an improvement. P.S. I am even into cars. Have a 2013 ZL1 Camaro. This ride should have rocked. Instead it's a flop!
Test Track has been a longtime favorite for me and my now 15 year old son. On June 8, we experienced the new Test Track and were sorely disappointed. My son refused to ride it a second time (we usually do single riders so that we can ride multiple times). He found the ride uninteresting, even boring. He was especially upset because the old Test Track had been so awesome. His cousin and uncle felt the same way--as did I.
No thrill. Not worth the wait. Building a virtual car is pointless. Games after ride are not user friendly. Chevrolet should take their name out of this ride to save their reputation. I will skip this ride in the future. Huge letdown.
I went on test track 2.0 in january. I thought it looks good from the outside but when you have been on the old one, you feel slightly underwhelmed. The old queue with test dummys and demos had such a buzz. But now you feel bored out of your skull, before you even get to design the cars. designing the cars is fun to a point, but as stages pass, you think whats the point. On the ride proper, there is apsolutly no sense of speed, which the old one did have. you feel as if its a ride in the car you took to get to the park. Old test track had substance, you got the ride and what it was about. But now you feel as if you have wasted an hour of you life and glad when its over. We had fastpass and were thinking of riding it again, once we got off we got rid of them because you dont make anyone elses ride a misery. Its just one big advert for chevy mixed with a Tron theme.
I don't care what people say this is the better Test Track. The other Test Track was great don't get me wrong, but this is so much better. To me this is a ride that belongs in FUTURE WORLD. The ride explores the technology of cars, and I think that is what is important. Also the games at the end are way better then the old games. Overall I give this a high rating because I don't want people to be fooled. The que is better, the ride is better, the games are better, the overall Test Track is BETTER! So do not skip this no matter what! I love this version and I will be riding it every time...multiple times if I can. =)
I have been going to Disney World every year for the past 11 years and the Test Track was always one of the highlights. I went in February expecting the changes to be even better than the original. I get on the ride, I ride the ride, and I get off. It was more boring than Soarin'. They made a mockery of the original. The whole thing was just lights. All of the simulations that made the original unique were gone. I was very upset afterwards. The Disney Magic was gone.
I thought that the new Test Track was completely worth the wait. When I had watched the videos on Youtube, I thought i was going to HATE HATE HATE the new ride. When i got into line, i completely changed my mind. The queue was modernized and beautiful. when you got into the design station, everything was perfect. you could design anything you wanted, and the car actually got tested!!! The hate towards Test Track is not necessary. I personally think that whoever came up with the idea of this new Test Track is a genius. the lights illuminate everything and it is sooo pretty. i love everything about the new ride, including te fact that it has bursts of speed at unexpected times. i rode test track 3 times nd enjoyed it every one. the area at the end is also extremely enjoyable. i cannot believe they did not come up with the idea with this refurbishment sooner. i truly believe that you must really consider and enjoy the ride to find it as fun. do not be a critic when you are on a ride, actually have fun. when i rode this ride, i felt excited for the future. i believe that they did not worsen the ride, just improve on it's already greatness.
Ok so I am going to go ahead and say that I was a big World of Motion fan. When the ride shut down I was super sore about it. I didnt ride Test Track when it had opened at first, but eventually the speeding cars at the top of the ride looked to fun to miss. So when I rode it I feel in love completly. Needless to say I was upset when they decided to refurb the thing. I was even more upset when I started reading all the terrible reviews of the attraction. i did not want to watch the video until I rode it in person, but I was not excpectng what I saw. The new line que was so much more organized and sharper then the last one. The old que was super cool with the moving parts, but this just seemed more modern to me. Making the car was cool, but they need to make it where people could skip it if they wanted to. Maybe they can place them in a line that keeps going? Anyway the loading que was nice, but the ride was still the best part. I did not feel like I was on the same ride, and you have to remember we are talking about a Test Track junkie. It felt very futuristic and was very cool! I have told my friends how great it was, and we are going to making a trip down to Orlando very VERY soon! So I give this a very high rating compared to the others!
This is my 7 year old daughter's review: This ride feels so slow now! On the old one there were cool drops but now it's boring. There were also hot and cold effects that you really felt in the old version but they're gone now. The new one is just neon lights and spray paint! The cards are just boring blank white cards. The should have put some cool colors on them that go with the theme. The only good thing is the cool games at the end and the stations where you can get your picture taken. The ride is just boooooring. There's not enough to look at in the ride I'm not entertained at all. It moves as slow as the haunted mansion now.
We really enjoyed the original test track experience, we liked the varied terrain and the overall experience even just standing in line was interesting and memorable. Now it's a boring ride other than the speed. Chevrolet is the sponsor of the ride and I feel that we go to Disney for fun and Mickey Mouse not for some infomercial from Chevy at tax payers expense. If Disney continues to push a political party platform whether it's promoting government subsidized companies or turning the hall of presidents one sided view of our great nation. We are not only a country that has grown through a civil war or civil rights or monopolies. They highlight FDR that he brought us through the depression, but fail to mention that he had multiple mistresses, exploited the term of the office, and held Japanese-Americans in internment camps, I would hope Disney would also share Nixon opening the China relationships, got us out of Vietnam, which Kennedy got us into and Johnson escalated, Reagan ending the Cold War or the horrors of 9/11. If Disney continues to promote a political philosophy instead of overall facts. We will go to Disney no more. We have already stopped watching their television programming. I thank God for DVDs so we can see Disney at their best.
The new test track is a huge disappointment. The futuristic theming is boring. The only part of the ride that is exciting is going fast outside--and that was there before. So we've lost the bumps, the hot, the cold...all things that were fun to show new guests or just revisit. Why would you take a new guest on Test Track now? There are so many other Disney attractions that would benefit from change: a different movie at Soarin for example. But this change is just sad.
This ride made sense before. Now it's just a flashy lit neon light . The while design your own card thing is silly and does not really seem to work and certainly does not feel like you did anything to get whatever results come from this selection . It's quite confusing. I really hoped they were adding new features to the old version. This new version is not much fun and mostly confusing.
We used to enjoy Test Track. It belongs in a regular amusement park. There is absolutely no Disney Magic. We won't waste our time on this ride ever again.
I love Disney. I love all things Disney. Yes the place is run by humans and humans make mistakes......but I've never seen Disney make a mistake on a level this bad. You take one of the most beloved rides at Epcot and shut it down for I don't know 3/4 of a year and then you open it back up with this in it's place. You have got to be kidding me???? I had heard very bad reviews last year before I went on the new test track in December 2012. It was worse than the reviews I had read. Disney ruined a awesome ride. I will only ride this if there is no wait from now on.
The design your car area before the ride makes the line take forever it seems. They should have a separate line for people who just want to get on the ride. Why the change? I think the old Test Track was much cooler this futuristic/Tron thing is such a waste. It seems Disney likes to change things that don't need to be, Disnoid nailed it with Journey To Imagination. Kodak and Disney ruined this ride, BRING BACK DREAMFINDER!
I see why they wanted to renovate this ride, Just like the Universe of Energy it was starting to look a bit worn, but the problem is they CHANGED a classic and beloved attraction, and in the process lost sight of what the ride was all about: a chance for riders to experience what it was like to be a crash dummy; to feel the thrills of getting to know what it's like to go through a testing process; to experience the thrills of learning what each testing room hasd to offer. I use to LOVE this ride sooo much . . . . Now it is a complete nap. The thing this ride had going for it was excitement and adventure, but now the deceptively attractive "modern technology" has claimed yet another victim. Next time the imagineers want to change a ride they really need to think about what it is that makes the ride so popular and why the guests hold it so tightly in their hearts. They were looking a little too hard at how to make the ride "modern" and "flashy" but it came off as cheesy and one-one note; dry; unimaginative.They somehow failed to realize they were messing with something that was so good and popular to begin with (There was a reason this ride was always so hard to get on and a reason the Fast Passes went away so quickly. I think that Spaceship Earth also suffered at the hands of these imagineers. The Haunted Mansion updates, however are wonderful because they kept the mood, spirit and the feeling of the ride, but were able to pepper in some new and awesome technology. To put it bluntly, this update to Test Track offends me.
This was a serious disappointment. I heard through the rumor mill that that "Tron" was in the inspiration for this remodel. I imagined being in a video game or racing with another car. The only Tron likeness is the color palette. I really enjoyed original Test track, although I thought the Queue could use a little work. Now the queue is better (Why I gave it one star) and the ride is BORING! In the original Test Track you were the crash test dummy, going through a series of tests that our cars go through before ending up on the road. Now, you design your own car and again put it through some tests but now you really have no idea whats happening because it's just one big neon light after another. *Wake me up when it's over* We visit Disney about twice a year, this being a "must do" whenever we go. Unfortunately this ride just made it to my "must miss" list. Do me a favor Disney, just bring World of Motion back. That was better than Test Track. Sorry, imaginears. Not your best work.
What were they thinking? I went through the fast pass but went slowly through so we could absorb the decor. In the FP line you do not get to design a car. There is very little to look at in either line. It is mostly empty with a few engine and other car parts. It seems like you are being sold a car from Chevy! I know the old ride was a bit corny but in a good way. I thought it was neat and educational it was a good way to show kids the things cars go through before you purchase them. On the old ride you knew exactly what test you were going through ie an obvious room for tempeture testing. Also on the old version riders who ride several times could always find new things to look at and notice in line and on the ride itself such as bacon being cooked in the heat test room! The new version is very confusing I was always trying to figure out what was exactly going on, what test we were doing. It was very dark with black lights and simple paintings or video like screens of fictional or futuristic cars. After the ride there are a few things to do if you went through the normal que because you need a card. One being racing cars against other park goers. Once you have walked through that area it is like you are at a car show with chevy cars on exhibit, not futuristic but common cars. I was completely disapointed and honestly they cant change it back fast enough!!!!
My expectations were quite low for the new ride, I really liked the old one and had no feelings for it being replaced. That's why I was positively surprised by this ride. The queue was nice and sleek, although lacking in things to look at. Designing your car and it being rated was fun. The ride was quite short but still nice. After the ride you could make your commercial for said car which can get to comical results. Overall it was certainly worth the 45 minute wait. 8/10.
Once again the Imageneers drop the ball. First it happened with figment and journey into your Imagination, which is more like a Journey into a lack of an Imagination. Now its Test Track 2.0. The only thing thats being tested is how board they can make a guest. Whatever Disney spent on this referb, was a complete waste... Visually it seemed like they married OnStar and TRON. the ride is a complete FAIL... If it wasnt for the outside track I would say skip the ride all together. And Disney if your reading this you've got the CARS movies to take inspiration from. Just marry Chevy Cars and Disney Pixar Cars together and you may have a more visually envolving story line.
We once again spent the 2012 Christmas holidays at Disney World. We travel down every year from up-state New York. We were very excited to try the new Test Track, this is one of my DW 's favorite rides at Disney. We experienced the ride on December 28th 2012. We did not like the refurbishment at the beginning of the ride and even the area where you made up your own vehicle did not help. I think all that really changed was the cosmetic look some new paint and pictures. We really did like the way the ride was before the refurb. We did still enjoy the speeding around the track at the end of the ride. I think we just thought it would be totally different and maybe we were expecting more than we should have.
Well what a disappointment, possibly the worse refurb ever done by Disney. Nothing of any real interest really happens on the ride. The ride around the speed loop is still cool but I wouldn't queue any length of time for it. Really all what was required was a good refurb of the attraction to get it all working as it should.
Test track used to be an awsome ride! You walked in and it was almost like you were in a factory! Test dummys everywhere, and all sorts of cool things like doors being slammed shut! The line was realy fun and kept people entertained for a long time. (which was great concidering the long lines) Once you got on the actual ride you felt like YOU were the test dummy, heat and cold simulations. rough rod simulations. Wet and dry tests and all sorts of cool things and of course that great big outside track! The new test track on the other hand is horrid. The line is nothing but you holding a blank white ID card with a rubber band around it. You walk in and take your card and scan it on a sphere ball that lights up (for the record I scanned my fast pass and my park ticket and they both worked. As long as you hold a flat surfce up to it it will work. (we saw people ditching the ID cards on the ground because they were stupid.) A screen pops up saying efficincy power capability and other stuff. you pick one and a list of absolutely unrealistic looking cars pops up (looks like hot wheels reproduced with the bat mobile and got a paint job in the ghetto) and you pick one. (little kids have fun with it which I guess is the point but the old line EVERYBODY liked and thats what you want.) Then you contitnue on and look at nothing... blank blue walls. When you finaly get up to the line (which isn't worth the 160 minute wait.) you see the same cars from the old ride just painted blue instead of yellow. (kids sure are dissapointed to not see there futuristic ugly trashy chuckycheese looking car that they picked on screen.) and we noticed kids upset because of it too. You get on and start riding an obviously everyones ride is the same and the card has no effect on the vehicle or the ride itself. No simulations or tests just an annying automatic voice that sounds like a gps talking to you saying "calculating" And when it is complete with calculating that it will display the results on a screen which as far as im concerned are just absolutely random numbers or numbers that were displayed when you made your car. The track is also glow in the dark which did nothing but make it look unrealistic and cheesy like a fair ride. You come in close contact to a semi truck which is ok not better than it used to be though. Then you go on the outside track which is the signiture part of the ride. still the same. (the only thing that hasn't changed. Definetly not worth the wait or even the trip to epcot concidering that was one of the best highlight rides. Im seeing lots of negative reviews on this ride and I hope disney does too. Disney needs to redo test track and put back the old one. Before Epcot looses lots of money. They may make money now and the next year or two just because people want to try out the ride but in the long haul they will loose alot... one of the first disney dissapointments...c3
This ride is incredible! I had love the one before but always saw it as kind of dirty... However now it is AMAZING! They took this ride to new hieghts and the post-show just adds to it!
Just another way for Disney to save money. Walt use to PLUS his attractions,now the new way is to minus them. Looks to me like they took out all of the moving parts to save on maintenance costs just like they did with journey into imagination, and universe of energy. The new Test Track is not worth a fast pass.
i was really looking forward to the new test track bc it is my favorite ride at Epcot but after waiting for 6 months or more im not to happy.First the line it seems they put 90 percent of their time into redoing the line which i will say looks fantastic but once you get to the ride you can tell that all they did was put up walls with lcds in them and use a lot of glow in the dark spray paint
After it being down for 2 hours first thing New Years eve morning, we finally got on. However, that was not the only glitch. The 3 of us built our cars, only to have my computer reset itself and all the information be lost. So...the plan is to create your cars and then get in another line, however there is no one there to tell you that, so we stood around and waited for 7 minutes. The ride itself is fine, it shows no signs of your car doing anything (at least not when we went). Would not wait in the lines again for it, which on NYE went up to 4-5 hours.
Being a huge fan of Test Track before it's big refurb, I was deeply disappointed when the new Tron-like version opened up for rider amusement. Luckily, Early Magic Hours provided me with an almost first-in-line experience, so I got to enjoy the full experience, from designing my own car of the future to testing it's performance on the ride. However, when I wanted to try it again, the lineup was too long so I opted for the single rider experience. This was a real disappointment because I no longer could become involved in designing my own car - that option had been stolen away from me. Seems Disney has decided to place profit ahead of guest statisfaction. As a single or Fastpass rider, guests no longer have the chance to design their own car and have it rated. Only standby riders have that joy and with the lineups running into the hours of wait time, there is no way this Disney fan is going to wait. Consequently, Disney has just lost another Test Track rider (along with my family and cousins). Disney's need to push through as many riders as they can per hour at the expense of their enjoyment has ultimately lost riders. Once again, the almighty dollar has influenced what Disney provides its guests. The new Test Track certainly had potential. Like the Sum of All Thrills and Toy Story Mania, the desire to earn more points engages guests at a competitive level. Test Track certainly has that potential but with only standby riders truly being given that option, regular guests such as DVC members, annual pass holders and the like will not wait in long lines to improve their scores and "compete" with family members etc. Ridership will decrease, word will get around that the ride has lots its thrill and Disney will have again put the dollar before the guest.
Overall a disappointing update....The people who posted good reviews are the same people who thought the new Tron and the Pirates of the Caribbean series were great movies....Don't believe them....Not a terrible ride but a good example of how Disney will slide by with the mediocre instead of demanding excellence nowadays....
The new Test Track is impressive in many ways. The futuristic theme finally makes this pavilion worthy of being in "Future" World, and updates it in such a way that it'll stay relevant for the foreseeable future (or at least the next couple decades ;). It's fun, and I'm sure I'll be going on it many more times, but as I was heading home I couldn't help feeling there was something different about this ride than any other ride at Walt Disney World. And now that I think about it I realize what it was. The new Test Track is too cold. As in there's a lack of a human element. They updated it with the futuristic so much that it fails to highlight in any way the people behind the design aspect. There's some monitors in the early part of the pre-show that shows a few glimpses of humans but as the ride progresses it turns into a robotic, monotone voice that guides you through the experience. Past those first couple screens by the entrance, there's no humans represented in the rest of the attraction. Whereas the original ride had Bill McKim and his assistant Sherrie (the two hosts from the briefing room) take you through the ride, here it feels very disconnected from reality. Of course that might have been the direction Imagineering was going for, but its sort of a bummer for me to see there's very little focus on the people who make these vehicle designs a reality. Speaking of reality, if I was in charge of the project, one of the things I would have done is enclose the whole outdoor portion of the track (make it sort of like a high-speed tunnel). I guess it didn't bug me too much in the old ride cause it took place in the present, but now that it takes place in the far future it makes no sense mid-ride to exit right out into the bright Florida sun going down a track through backstage of all places. And the other thing that makes the transition so jarring is before the outdoor portion you have so much futuristic music and imagery going on and once you exit the building, boop, no music or voice or sfx, nothing plays on the outside loop. Its the sort of thing that might give a first time rider the feeling of "Am I still on the ride?" since it's such a jarring disconnect between futuristic and reality. So that's just my two cents. Is it a good ride? Yup. In fact they did a lot of things right. But for me it's those two things that sort of throws it off from it being a "perfect" ride.
Test track was one of my favorite rides so I had high hopes for the refurbishment. I'm pretty sad though because they removed everything I loved about Test Track (theming, crash test dummies, the corny but endearing preshow video, etc.) and they replaced it with darkness, neon lights and a nonsensical "design a car" bit. Designing a car doesn't affect your experience at all, so all of my fellow riders and myself thought it was kind of pointless. The new theme is hard to follow. Even though it was the same track, it was hard to understand what in the world was going on. If it were a brand new ride I might have been able to give it more credit, but I definitely think it was a mistake to gut the original for this one. :(
Went on it for the cast preview of the refurbished Test Track and it is just unbelievable what they did with it. Walking through the queue line alone I was speechless and once you get to the ride all you can do is feel excited and anxious to see it and it will be well worth whatever wait it'll have. Once it opens on December 6th 2012 it will be the most must do ride that Disney World has.
I really love test track it's awesome ride! I can't wait to ride it again next month!
one of my must dos. The only thing is they can vamp up the girt shop.
A great attraction- a thrill ride for the entire family. One of Epcot's best.
Ever wanted to know what a crash test dummy feels like? Then this is the ride for you. When World Of Motion closed it's doors and Test Track moved in EPCOT got a taste of thrill. Test Track launches you on a crash course of vehicle testing as you learn all of the exciting things car companies do to make sure their vehicles are durable. The finale of the attraction sends you 0 to 64 mph as you go through a series of outdoor banked turns! Test Track is the fastest ride at Epcot and with good reason. Queue- Okay The queue is not very impressive overall and tends to give me a headache. There are some interesting test demonstrations going on that are fun to watch but if you don't have fastpass expect to be waiting for quite a while. 7.4/10 stars Pre-show- Okay After waiting in line you enter a box shaped room with video screens up front. Bill Mckim and co. give you a brief summary of the rigors of car testing and then show you what you will experience, they even throw in a "surprise test". Uh-oh. The pre-show room is for the most part boring with a sense that the Imagineers were rushing through it. The video is kind of entertaining. 6.4/10 stars Ride- Excellent After leaving the pre-show you enter the main loading dock and begin your journey. There are several durability test as well as the outdoor track in which you reach speeds up to 64 mph. The ride is very entertaining and fast paced that teaches you something along the way. 9.5/10 stars Post Show- Good Test Track's post show allows kids and car loving adults to sit inside a large selection of vehicles. This is coupled with a rocking group of car advertisements playing in the front of the room. There is also some learning areas and a virtual reality playfield. My biggest problem with the post show is that it feels alot like a car advertisement and in a way, it is. 8.5/10 stars Every time I experience Test Track I get something new and have alot of fun. There are many families who enjoy the ride so I highly reccomend it for thrill seekers and families alike. Test Track shows that learning can be very fast. Overall: 8/10 stars
I have heard so much about this ride but after riding it I was very dissapointed. First of all, even the Fast Pass line moved slow so with a FP we ended up waiting 30 mins... then when we got on the ride most of the tests were boring. (loved the one where you go around the turns really quickly though!) The biggest dissapointment of all was the over-hyped high speed test. It may be the fastest ride at WDW, but you def. don't feel like you're going ANYWHERE near as fast as you do on RnRC. (Heck, Big Thunder Mountain feels faster than this!) If you can walk right on it, do it. If not, get a fast pass if you haven't done it before or just skip it.
Queue can get loud with all the testing being done in there, but plenty to look at while you most likely will be waiting in a long line unless you get there early in the morning. The actually ride, for me personally, leaves me wanting more. Don't get me wrong, the 65mph banked turn is a real thrill, however, the rest of it gets dull after the 50th time. If the line is under 25min, which it rarely is anymore these days, get in line. If not and have a FP window available use it.
This ride is okay if you can walk on (if you visit in early to mid December). The whirl on the track is probably the only fun part. I'd likely be less negative about the ride if it wasn't a GM sponsored attraction; when's the last time a GM vehicle inspired any fascination?
This is a not to be missed attraction: make sure you get a souvinear photo of you on the ride :)........... great ride that shows you how safe our cars really are .
Its alright. Overrated. The speed pick up is great but it brakes way too early. the intensity of the ride was short lived. The idea is great so they should have done more with it. But yeah its pretty good.
By 11 AM, even in the regular season this ride is prone to 2 1/2 hour standby lines and Fastpasses usually are gone by a little after noon. This is just another reason to get to the park at opening so you can ride twice without waiting. Alright, now for the ride synopsis: you're at a GM car testing facility. The pre-show is the best in Epcot. After watching it, you'll get in a MUCH shorter line and get in your open-air "test" car. In other words, you're the crash test dummy! I don't wanna give away the surprises, but you top out at over 65 mph and come to both screeching halts and near collisions. Still, most who pass the height requirement will probably be fine fright-wise. A frantic, snazzy, thrilling attraction that is easy on the stomach and your nerves. Smile when they take the picture!
Test Track is awesome. While waiting in line, you see all types of automotive tests and crash test dummies. On the ride, you experience a shortened version of what cars really are tested on. It is more or less realistic but makes for a good ride. The barrier test is the best, the car actually accelerates to 60 plus mph while going outside the ride. Fastpass is a good thing for Test Track though.
I just LOVE this ride! I must be one of the fortunate few to never have had to line up for too long and the ride has nearly always been up and running. Admittedly, there are formidable queues and I recommend a fast track. But if you are in a line, the inside area is incredible and there is always something to be looking at. The ride itself is amazing. High speed turns, brakes, excelleration, near collisions...yes, you are testing a car for all eventualities, including extreme temperatures (watch out for the robots!!). The outside run is stunning. Take my word for it, get a fast track and you will be blown away!
Most people drive faster than this on the freeway so I don't really see this as a thrilling ride. Good storyline and a decent ride. Honestly, I thought this would be better considering it was advertised "Disney's fastest and longest ride ever!"
Though I never miss this ride, I do feel it's a bit overrated as a thrill ride. The only real thrill is the charge around the outside of the building at the end. Everything inside is more like a dark ride, and the parts that are supposed to be thrilling like the mountain curves and the brake testing are quite tame. Still, I enjoy it for what it is, and they obviously put a lot of money into developing this one. The queue is actually the best part of this attraction which actually explains a lot of the R & D that goes into developing a car.
I only have like one problem with this ride. It's been a couple of years since the screens on the car have worked, and once we didn't even hear the audio, so we had to say the dialogue from memory lol. The ride is great fun though and we always go on it!
I don't like roller coasters, but I love Test Track. It is my favorite ride in DW.
This is a very cool ride, but it has a lot going against it. if it is raining/storming, it can't go. and the ride breaks down a lot. and the lines are crazy mad long sometimes. but overall, it is a very cool idea. ever want to see what it would be like to be a crash test dummy? now you get to. and it is an nice look at how cars are tested. the end is pretty cool when you go zipping around outside.
One of my favorites--certainly the best ride at Epcot. I wish I could drive my car like this!
This is a great ride to be at EPCOT. Disney cannot just have slow rides or they will lose their audience. The queue line is great and keeps your interest as you wait. I actually enjoyed the ride more when I had to wait instead of jumping on with some GM folk! The music fits the ride well. I am not sure sometimes what they are using to make those sounds but it really got me ready to ride the ride(that sounds weird). I wish it would look a little more detailed on the inside. The cardboard cut out trees and other such items really stand out as ugly. The speed are should go faster as it is not that fast compared to todays standards.
Queuing Time: The lines for this attraction are so tremendous. It's not worth a long wait. That is, unless you're in it for a fast ride. Audio/Music: Well, there isn't much music. What there is, though, in the exit area is music like "Like a Rock" which can be heard on the radio. Am I at Disney? Preshow: This shows some worth as far as how cars get tested and a bit of history. Storyline: It really reminds me of Cyberspace Mountain. It's a thrill ride, but it doesn't have any "substance"...not really any "worth" as an attraction in itself. Theming: I feel like I'm in an auto shop! I don't want to go to an auto shop at Disney! LOL! PostShow: Ugly...and it's just a show off of GM. Experimental Prototype Community of...Today! Thrill Rating: I don't really care for thrills; but my family was more concerned with "is it safe?" Duration: Short. Quick. It's not really worth it. Especially 3 hour wait for 5 minutes? Kid Friendly: A lot of kids can ride it. But it has lots of restrictions. It's not what Disney set out for - "family." Overall Rating: I just don't like it. But still, I would be happier with that. But above that, it lacks a lot of what Disney, and especially EPCOT is TRULY (or was truly) about.
This ride was awesome. The qeue line area is very well themed. THe best part of the ride is the 'loops' or speed test area which is also the most thrilling. Another good factor is the story of a proving ground which is original. Overal, it's an excellent ride!
Test Track may not be as thrilling as sone thill seekers would like, however, it has great theming and enough thrill to keep people coming back again and again. A great thrill for ALL ages!
I hate EPCOT. I really do. It is SOOOOO boring. My whole life i've had passes to Disney (I live like 5 minutes away) and I used to never use them to go to EPCOT, unless my mom just wanted to take me to eat or something. Because of this ride I now go all the time! I usually go late so i've never had a long wait in long lines, but I would wait to go on this ride. This ride is just so much fun.
I have loved this ride from the very first time I rode it. In my opinion it is one of the best themed rides ever created by Disney.
Great ride except for the frequent breakdowns. The outdoor speed portion is the best, just wish it could be a little longer.
2 years ago I rode Test Track for the first time and I loved it, this ride is intense, The speed test was the best part of the ride, going 65mph on a banked curve was quite a rush overall the ride was fun
While I certainly enjoyed the ride part of the attraction, I was surprised at how cool the queue was (the parts, the schematics). My 7 year old son loved this attraction, too.
16 February 1999: A great review of Test Track by Jason Travis, originally posted at www.wdwmagic.com I got to ride Test Track several times yesterday, and I thought I'd post a detailed description. Please don't read if you don't want to know the "surprises". Test Track is like a very intricate and expensive watch that is fascinating when it works, but grinds to a five-minute halt a the slightest jostle. When TT runs correctly, it's exhilarating. Out of about seven rides, probably only three were completely problem free. The CM's speak about normal "zone stops" now--not a 101 but just a short delay because something gets out of synch, or they're loading a wheelchair. Unfortunately, the pacing of this ride is everything. Often you'll get stopped in the middle of a test, and the effect of that test and the whole ride is lost while you sit for five minutes in silence. THE RIDE The outside of the building is quite impressive. They've built a canopy over the exterior, where there will most likely be a line. (I especially like the highway-barrier structures) There are little signs and factoids to read, and during the time I was in line, this little car of CM's pulled up blasting "Supermodel, Work", and other upbeat music while they entertained the crowd by throwing nerf footballs back and forth to us, and playing "chicken tennis" with children. Sometimes the crash test dummies will also work the line, which actually moves fast while the ride is operating. If the line outside isn't too bad, don't let the wait time scare you away, because the interior line is *very* well done and I was never bored, even though the ride stopped for ten minutes once. The cars that shoot by on the track overhead run VERY close together. Sometimes seeming almost ten seconds apart. The track even *moves* and creaks a bit as the cars hurtle by sounding like jet engines. I'm assuming this is normal to prevent stress that would build up in a totally immobile structure...I think. The inner queue is fascinating, and one of the neatest parts of the ride. It's like a large open hangar filled with gizmos and gadgets and television screens and car parts. I almost got sensory overload--you barely know where to look next. The whole room is a cacophony of clattery techno music made up of industrial sounds that changes depending on which part of the line you're in, due to different balances on the speakers that hang above your head. I noticed more than one person bopping along. It manages to sound like a busy industrial garage while also being musical. You'll notice lights flashing by behind some mostly opaque vertically-striped glass on one wall--those are vehicles entering the lift hill. There are many interesting motorized displays--you'll see a huge weight being lifted up and dropped on a car door. Several test dummies also suffer from big mechanical hammers pummelling them. It's all quite fascinating, and a great lead up to the ride. You're herded into one of three briefing rooms. (Make sure you check out the back wall before the lights go out--there are aerial photos of several "real life" test tracks, as well as Disney's.) On one screen the test director explains the tests to you while his assistant brings up computer displays and little avi's of each one. Very interesting how they make this all look like a flashy internet browser display with status bars "downloading" and such. (The female assistant (Sherri?) is really funny in her own subtle way. I love how she almost gets a slightly sadistic glee from being allowed to "randomly" pick the last test--you see an avi of a crash test.) Then you get the usual seatbelt demonstration. The doors open, and you're in another slightly cramped queue on the loading dock. This area is crammed with industrial machinery...all very well done. It's almost a brighter version of the TOT loading area with a bit of Tomorrowland Speedway mixed in. You load into the cars--very nicely detailed with running and brake lights, and headlights--and get dispatched in a "train" of three or four cars together. There is a four-inch monitor mounted in front and back seats. They seem to be the same type of track system as CTX and Indy, only instead of a motion simulator, they are wired with high-speed engines. Several speakers create sound effects...the motor idling and the tires squealing when appropriate. (The cars are actually electrical, and aren't supposed to ever really scrape or screech ever, although you do sometimes) The cars roll forward and up a curved incline to the left, where another CM checks your seatbelts before clearing it to separate and move forward to the lift hill. You see the car ahead of you "burn rubber" up the hill, leaving smoke behind. (I thought this was real at first, but got a whiff of rosco stage smoke coming out of the floor.) The monitors pop on, and you're cleared for the incline test. You accelerate up for a few feet, then continue at a constant speed. It's not so much like a power climb as it is...well...a lift hill. You reach the top and shoot over...for a second it seems like you might be in for a drop, but instead you hit the brakes and make a tight right turn. From the height, you can see a lot of the track laid out below you. The interior of the building is a vast open space that is dark except for some industrial floodlamps illuminating the test areas. It's a little like a parking garage--or a an indoor go-cart track. People have complained about the lack of "scenery" but it's very accurate that there isn't any. You very much get the sense of unfinished "testing". You then grind down a VERY bumpy "Belgian block" hill, which is like driving over dowels. Then you level off and hit the "German blocks" which are bigger and cause some side-to side jostles. This is the one really realistic test in the ride. You actually hit all these bumps with your tires. I wonder how difficult it will be to maintain these cars, as they take lots of abuse. You make a right and stop for a second. A monitor on a pole pops on, and your test engineer tells you he's going to slam on the brakes and try to steer you through a left turn marked out by cones minus ABS. Your car accelerates quite realistically, then fishtails a bit and plows through the cones, ending up in a dark area near a wall outside of the test zone. You turn around and they turn the ABS on. In this lane, you feel two solid bursts of braking, and make the turn. Two monitors side by side show you the overhead videos of you missing the turn and making the turn. These are actually pretty good tests, although it would be cool if the cars had a few feet of lateral "swing" in the back so that the fishtailing would really seem out of control. (As built, your car follows the slot exactly so it doesn't ever feel dangerous.) You make a u-turn to the right and enter the "extreme conditions" testing. You pull in between two giant banks of several hundred bulbs and they flash on, *quite* hot and glaringly bright for a moment. You then pull to the left into the cold chamber. Icicles hang down, and freezing cold air and mist blast down on you. Next is the "corrosion" chamber. The engineer says, "Did we remember to turn those robots off? Sherri says, "Um..." And two industrial robots on each side of you hose you down with mist that's lit yellow and has an odd scent. ("Paint!" one woman exclaimed during one ride.) You exit the atmosphere chambers and get set for the cornering test. You climb up into a simulated mountain road (with the infamous two-dimensional trees) and make three tight turns while they seemingly accelerate you faster and faster. Unfortunately the ride constraints make it necessary to brake before each turn, so it doesn't really build in intensity too much, but you do get some nice lateral g-pull in the turns. You then hit a giant dip in the road (the kind which normally makes you curse as the road scrapes your muffler,) and then twist into a tunnel. All the lights go out, you hear a honking sound, and a giant semi-truck lights up to your left as you swerve right. Not horrifyingly scary, as the truck doesn't seem to move much, but loud. You pull back into a garage like area labelled "barrier test". Several overhead p.a.'s blare out to clear the area. You make a right turn and approach a testing area. A bank of very bright floodlights turn on (they film crash tests at high film speeds requiring lots of light) and a car barrels in, smashing into a wooden barrier. You feel the wave of air from the crash. This part is really nicely done. The car wrecks very realistically. You then turn right into a dark garage. The lights come on and you are facing a similar wooden barrier. Two banks of the same bright lights come on, and you peel out, hurtling toward the barrier, which splits in two and slides open at the very last moment. You turn slightly right and drop down a hill (braking again, dammit, there's not much clearance under your car) and then they *pour* on the acceleration. You bank to the right a bit, then hit a circular loop that banks to the left. It feels like you're going as fast as this car can mechanically go, but you hit the straightaway and the engine hits another gear and your the mechanism *screams* up to 64.3 miles per hour. It's loud and fast and incredible fun. You hit the big track going around the building at close to 65 mph and make it about 1/3 of the way around before they begin to brake you. You come to a stop outside of "thermal imaging" on the other side of the building where you enter a tunnel and edge down a steep hill past a camera showing your heat-level (yes wave, that's you). You then make a left turn, which puts you back at the loading dock, and you exit to your left. (Remember "And what about science...science...science... And what about science...science...science..."? If you're in the single rider line you get, "Hey, thanks for being such a great test crew...Hey, thanks for being such a great test crew...Hey, thanks for...) As you exit around the corner, you pass a tiny cramped place where you can see a picture of you during the barrier test, which you can buy. You then pass through an area representing an assembly factory with robots sparking, conveyers whirring by, die presses stamping out parts--it's very neat but a lot of people miss it in the giggly rush of exiting. Then you enter a showroom with about eight cars in it. This area is quite amazing--like a trade show with the computerized moving lights...three dimensional commercials happen in music and lighting effects as curtains whisk aside showing a vehicle on a turntable setting appropriate to the nature of the car. Then you exit through the requisite GM gift shop where you can pick up your pictures if you want them. MY THOUGHTS It's quite a nifty ride, but it's over really soon. Unfortunately that means if the ride stops in the middle, you edge through the test you're in really slowly and it loses the effect. The first ride I took, we stopped twice; once during the first brake run, and again after the second brake run. I really feel sorry for people who wait in line and then the ride stops in the speed loop, since that's effectively the best part of the ride. Nearly half of the rides I took involved a delay of some sort during the ride--often just before the lift hill. It's unfortunate that Test Track was delayed over a year, because MUCH expectation has been built up which probably surpasses the actual reality of the ride experience. It's very well done, but would have been much more impressive had it opened a year ago before CTX, when not much in Disney really compared to it. Other than that, it's a great ride, and one that bears repeating since different parts of the ride vary slightly. I knew the doors were going to open in the barrier test, but knowing that gives you that little twinge of "oh my god, shouldn't they have opened by now???" And subsequent rides seemed to get faster and faster---probably due to less traffic ahead of the car. Make sure you ride it at night if you can...the speed loop is much more impressive with the lights on. PROBLEMS I have one suggestion that would solve a bit of the zone-stop problems. Lap bars. Seatbelts are more authentic for a "car ride", but I swear I watched more clueless people struggle with them than not. A lap bar would not only be as safe, it would eliminate the need for the extra seatbelt check, and that would shave some time off of load/unload and eliminate that variable from the ever-ticking away seconds before the ride has to stop because someone loading fastened the belt the wrong way and the CM has to sort out the snafu. I also think the GM people overestimated how easy it would be to load the cars. The loading platform has a makeshift rope queue on it that I don't think was planned. I get the feeling the way it was supposed to work was this: Three briefing chambers. 48 people in a briefing chamber spend about 3-4 minutes doing that, then *bam* the doors open on an empty loading dock where they are all quickly assembled on the circles and squares. Four cars are loaded in 40 seconds and train into the check/dispatch area. While the last 24 people are loaded in the next four cars, *BAM* another door opens. 48 more people are assembled as that train goes away. This is the feeling I get from the setup, but it's just too split-second in the timing. When I rode, they were only loading three cars at a time, and using two briefing rooms. The third one was an assembly area for the "single riders" (alone, not unmarried) line. This line is available to anyone. You get to skip the inside queue, and are used to fill in empty seats in cars that would otherwise go unused. Couples and groups can do this too, but they *will* split you up. You're not guaranteed to be in the same car, nor to ride anywhere in cars even close together. Some people might scream "ride hog", but I think this is a *great* idea, and helps the queue monitors be more efficient since they don't have to check 45 people back in line to fill a car. This ride is very appropriate for everyone, as it's never flat out *scary* like a roller coaster or CTX. It's bumpy and fast and loud. Good for old and young alike.
Despite my enjoyment of Test Track, let me first say that I still truly miss World of Motion. Yes, Test Track is innovative and original as it shows the rider the tests that a new vehicle is subjected to, but there was just something about the old WoM ride that I really enjoyed. The best part of Test Track is the end where the car appears to "crash" through a wall and go out onto the open track for its speed tests. You're also faced with extreme temperatures, braking, and uphill climbs. It's worth the wait in line, though the theming could certainly be better.
This Attraction is still a Travel pavilion, but has no history or education worth knowing to some people, I dont want to know too mutch about the tests cars go through. I remember WOM was Very Educational and some what exciting in its own way, This ride iw worth riding if you want to get on a ride that may break down while riding it, Or if You want fast speeds for a short time, Or wana learn about the testing of Cars before You even get a chance to buy one.
As much as I hate to see more and more thrill rides over running WDW, Test Track is a great attraction. Although it still has some mechanical problems causing frequent breakdowns, usually the wait is worth it. The theming & queuing area is fantastic... while your waiting you get a chance to see a lot of things and that makes the usually very long wait, somewhat enjoyable. Test Track is a very well done attraction and should not be missed.
The 2nd best ride at EPCOT. This ride is definetly worth the long wait. Get a fastpass for Test Track early in the morning, the fastpasses are gone by 1:00pm. Great ride!
BRINGS A COASTER TO EPCOT TO BRING IN A YOUNGER CROWD, ALWAYS GET A FAST PASS OR BRING A LUNCH. GREAT RIDE WHEN IT'S WORKING. IF IT STOPS SEE A CM AND WHINE AND YOU MIGHT GET A PASS TO SKIP THE LINE WHEN IT STARTS AGAIN.
Test Track is one of Epcot's newer attraction, it took the place of The World of Motion. The ride takes you into a car which is going to be put to some of the tests real cars experience before they hit the road. You experience everything from off-road tests,corrosive tests,handling runs, and even some thermal imaging!The end of the ride is disney's fastest ride which goes about 65 mph. Some of the downsides of the ride include the long line, most of the time its about 90 min to ride! Besides the long line, Test Track is a new thriller that will amaze people of all ages!
Yes, it opened almost two years after it was supose to, but it was worth the wait as it is possibly the greatest atraction in all of Future World. From the moment you walk into the queue you are emersed in Disney theming as it should be. The ride is thrilling as well with many suprises and quite a rush at the end. In short, this is a must see, but be sure to get a FastPass for this Test Track.
This fast paced ride is a must see at EPCOT. No longer a park only for the subdued guest. This ride appeals to the young, young at heart, and the thrill seeker in all of us. For you car buffs out there, this will make your trip.
World of Motion was better - original and classic. Test Track is basically a quick paced thrill attraction (is 60 seconds of a coaster and 4 minutes of tests worth 3 hours when there is a high chance of break down) that attracts guests... I'm happy with that. But it's theming is poor...it has no theme song...and has really shifted the EPCOT focus. In fact, it could fit in World of Motion almost three times! There is a LOT more potential for this attraction, and there isn't much gained in the end, unless you're the coaster fan. For those of us who truly liked World of Motion's spirit, we're kicked out. There could have been compromise...
Test Track is my favorite WDW attraction. I love the whole idea of this attraction. I think the Imagineers did an excellent job with Test Track. I've been on it 3 times since it opened, I've always had to Fastpass it, the line is just too ridiculously long! If you are strong enough to wait a couple hours, then do it, but if not, Fastpass it! I'm just hoping, Mission: Space will cut down Test Track's long lines, so I can enjoy more of it!!!
This ride is great! It may have it's fair share of breakdowns, but, when using FastPass, it makes the wait much more bareable. The lines can be daunting, but I think it's worth it. The premise is, you are in the GM Test Grounds. You do the various car tests, including shock tests, brake tests, and corrosion as well as others. This is a true Disney E-Ride! If you're at EPCOT, don't miss it!
Test Track is a great ride.... when it is up and running that is(LOL). A Great theme and design went into this General Motors sponsored ride. The time in line irritated me though. It seems (as I was standing in line) the ride broke down 3 separate times, so this turned a 20-30min wait into a 55-60min wait. No announcement was made or anything...and you know the ride was broke, because there were no cars moving on the curved track above my head. Once I got in the building...the pre show was good..and then we hopped in our car. Lots of twists and turns and neat little "tests" take place in the building portion of the ride...then you bolt out the doors pick up speed and hit a high banked curve...from there you approach a speed of 60mph...you don’t stay at that speed very long though..and it's very short lived. The Post show of this ride leads you into essentially a GM showroom ...(yeah its one big commercial but what the hay..Its there ride : ) ) There you can check out GM's latest vehicles, or request info about a car from the computer kiosks, or from the GM rep behind the desk. There is a nice huge gift shop past the GM showroom. There you can get anything and everything that might have a GM and or Test Track Logo on it, along with die-cast cars and other goodies. All in all...not a bad experience...keep in mind these ride vehicles are very high tech...and yes...break down often. Hopefully... one day in the not too distant future...GM will have worked all the bugs out ;)