Test Track

Test Track Review

This small-scale-with-big-thrills version of a General Motors vehicle proving ground takes you behind the scenes of automobile testing. The line area showcases many of these tests in informative, action-packed exhibits, which make the wait fun, but if you enter with a Fastpass, you'll miss these features.

On the ride, sporty convertible Test Track vehicles take you and five other passengers through seven performance tests. In the Brake Test your ride vehicle makes two passes through a circular setup of traffic cones, and you learn how antilock brakes can make a wildly out-of-control skid manageable. In the Environmental Chamber, vehicles are exposed to extreme heat, bone-chilling cold, and a mist that simulates exposure to corrosive substances. After leaving these test chambers, vehicles accelerate quickly up a switchback "mountain road" in the Ride Handling Test. There's also a too-close-for-comfort view of a Barrier Test.

The best part, the High-Speed Test, is last: your vehicle bursts through an opening in the Test Track building to negotiate a steeply banked loop at a speed of nearly 60 mph. Outside the pavilion, kids can get a soaking in the Cool Wash, an interactive water area that lets them pretend they're in a car wash. Note that the minimum height to ride is 40 inches, but that's OK. The line-area message will be lost on young children anyway, and the speeds and other effects may prove frightening. Also, the ride isn't suitable for pregnant women or guests wearing back, neck, or leg braces.

For people with disabilities: Visitors in wheelchairs are provided a special area in which to practice transferring into the ride vehicle before actually boarding. One TV monitor in the preshow area is closed-captioned, and the ride is equipped for video-captioning and handheld-captioning devices. Service animals aren't permitted on board. Go first thing in the morning and get a Fastpass ticket or choose the single-rider line when it's open. Note that the ride can't function on wet tracks, so don't head here after a shower.