Test Track lets you play crash-test dummy. (Some of you don’t have to play too hard. Sorry.) This is one of EPCOT’s best rides. Take a wild car ride through bumps and hills and hot and cold and end a ride with a really cool acceleration test.
Dad and the family loves this ride. It’s always on our to do list. We never miss it.
Photo by Jeff_B.
The Ride
Note: This ride was updated December 6, 2012.
Dad’s New Test Track page
The Preshow
Test Track has the most elaborate preshow of any at Disney World. (It’s a good thing, you can spend a long, long time winding through this building. When you enter the building you walk through the inside of a “working” test facility including cars undergoing various tests. You also see crash dummies in various tests.
The Lines
There are 3 lines you can choose from. The FastPass line requires a FastPass. The regular line is the regular line. The third line is the single rider line. This line usually moves very quickly. It’s a good way to avoid the longer regular line. If your party can split up, you will find the single rider line will save you a lot of time. (At times a whole party rides together even if they come from the single rider line.)
The Attraction
Test Track puts you in a GM car and takes you through a battery to tests. These tests mimic those done at automotive test facilities around the world. You are seat belted into your car then you start a series of tests. Starting with uphill acceleration and does a rough ride test. The ride then takes you through heat and cold. It does a braking test (as usual with all Disney rides, something goes wrong, and you go crashing… (I won’t ruin it for you.)
The ending takes you outside the building (it’s really fun when it rains).
The Postshow
Not only does this ride have the best preshow, it has the best postshow. You get to see the next generation of GM cars along with the top of the line cars currently for sale.
Inside the Preshow area
Photo by Jeff_B
The Crowd Factor
Mission Space, Test Track and Soarin’ are the big crowd rides in EPCOT. This attraction draws crowds so big that FastPasses are usually gone in the early afternoon. It’s not unusual to see a 2 hour line.
To avoid the hoards, go to this attraction early, use FastPass, or try the single rider line.
If you’d like some help avioding crowds check out the Lines app at Touringplans.com.
Dad’s EPCOT Crowds page
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting tidbits –
- The hot chamber reaches 110 degrees, while the cold chamber is kept at 10 degrees.
- The turn is banked at 50 degrees. For comparison, the Daytona International Speedway’s turns are banked at 31 degrees.
History
When this ride opened in EPCOT on March 17, 1999 after about 2 years of delays. Disney struggled with all kinds of issues at they tried to put the ride into production. There were major issues with the tires on the vehicles. This was the most complex ride Disney had ever built.
Dad’s Ride Information Table
Test Track |
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| Description: Ride through a “working” automobile test facility | ||||||||||||
| Height Requirement – 40 inches | Fastpass:Yes | Length of Ride: 5 minutes 30 seconds | ||||||||||
| Type of ride: Car ride | ||||||||||||
Dad’s Ratings
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The Fine Print
Here’s some small print information
- People with high blood pressure, heart, back and neck problems may have conditions aggravated by this attraction.
- Assisted listening devices and translation devices are available at Guest Relations
- Guests must transfer from wheelchairs or ECVs to the ride vehicle
- Service animals are not allowed
- Video captioning is available on certain monitors
- See Disney’s Test Track page for more fine print information
Dad’s Bottom Line
Test Track is the best ride in EPCOT. Don’t miss it.
