Travel Journal: Testing My Car at Test Track in Epcot
- Marcia Crayton
- Feb 18
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 29
Travel Journal:
Testing My Car at Test Track in Epcot
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Travel Journal Entry: Location, Epcot at Disney World
We have a lot of experiences in our daily lives in New York, but speed on the roadways is not one of them. We have safe speed limits (well-justified, mind you): mostly 25 mph within the NYC limits. Even our so-called highways are limited to 50 mph. Then, even if we could go a little faster, the traffic would prevent you, well, at least during the day. Higher speed limits with less traffic are best for the highways outside of the city so that we can stay safe within the city. But what if we wanted a (safe) taste of life in the fast lane? We know where to go to have some safe fun. Enter Test Track at Epcot in Disney World. Corny, but true. And it will have to do until we get to one of the race track places for a taste of the real deal.
The NYC Traveler at Test Track
Epcot's Test Track was closed June 2024 for a complete reimagining and reopened slightly a year later. That's some facelift. We got a chance to ride the new Test Track.
It never fails: you could literally fly onto Soarin' without waiting for a long time on a line sometimes, but Test Track will always probably be one of the longest lines of an attraction at Disney World's Epcot (the others are Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Forever After and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind).
And ultra thrill seekers will be scratching their heads wondering why? It's not really a roller coaster, it stops and starts, so that there is only really one stretch of speed at the end. What is the allure? Why do people like it so. much.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Test Track really does have a long line, so consider using the Lightning Lane feature to shorten your wait.
Some background info: The idea came about as early in 1976 and finally opened up for real in 1999, after a series of soft openings and technical issues. A little history: Test Track replaced an attraction called World of Motion, a cute ride through the history and development of transportation (think Spaceship Earth). At the end, was a projection of the future in CenterCore, metropolis. And there was a theme song.
World of Motion ended in 1996, to make room for the construction of Test Track. The old Test Track ride (opening in 2012), also fit into the "edutainment" theme of Epcot back then. The queue showed guests how a repair and test shop was operated, complete with test crash dummies. Then, you rode in a car that simulated the actual tests: hill climb, how the suspension system worked over different types of road surfaces, a race course with cones with and without the anti-braking lock system, environmental chambers, hills and then the open road outside. This all changed in December 2012, when Test Track was updated.
So, still, why the long lines? Especially since it's not an extreme ride. That's because most Disney people know that Disney doesn't have extreme rides. And, they know Disney's history with thrill rides. Walt Disney dreamed up Disneyland because he wanted a park where most families could ride together on attractions. He was sitting on the sidelines watching his daughters have fun and he wanted to be with them. As the Disney Parks matured (along with the park goers) and as other theme parks started including more thrill rides, Disney found a way to give a thrill ride feel without alienating riders who couldn't or wouldn't ride the extreme rides. And Test Track is one of them.
The attraction is usually sponsored by an automobile company, such as GM, so when you're in line (in the queue), you may see cars on display. They aren't your average cars from the road, but extreme models. If you are a car buff, take lots of photos, you may never see these cars on the highways.
Part of the fun was the experience with Test Track. It was a complete experience. In 2012, the attraction and ride experience was renovated. Here's a rundown of the Test Track experience pre-2025. The queue was changed to a more interactive experience. Instead of Epcot showing how a car was repaired, you "built" the car yourself. At a kiosk, you tapped your ticket, or your Magic Band, you chose the model, color and certain features that you thought were important in a car, such as speed, power or efficiency. After that, depending on which version of the ride, you received a card with all of that info or, in later renovations, that info was stored on your magic band.
When you entered the ride, you tapped your card/Magic Band again and your data loaded into the attraction. Everyone in the same car had their data loaded in, too. This was so you could compare your results with everyone else: whose car was the fastest, the most powerful or the most efficient after going through the tests.
The old Test Track consisted of a ride through a series of tests for your vehicle: capability (skids), efficiency (aerodynamics), responsiveness (a series of hairpin turns) and power (the final run outside of the building). At the end of the ride, you saw how your "vehicle" scored on each test, as well as have fun playing in the activities area after you exit the ride. The design of the ride was dark inside, with the track looking like a real highway, and landscapes on the side.
What used to be in the 2012-2024 version:
Capability: the old World of Motion logos, an attraction at Epcot when it opened in 1982
Efficiency: the initials WED (Walter Elias Disney) and some websites and a hidden Mickey.
Responsiveness: the line that Mater says to Lightning McQueen in Cars: Turn right to go left. Also, there was a sign that says Beaver X-ing, a GM plant in Beaverton, Oregon, where some of the first Test Tracks were designed.
Power: There was a number 82, the year Epcot opened 1982; a picture of a futuristic city, in reference to the old World of Motion; and the acronym FN2BFRE, which referred to the World of Motion's former theme song, It's Fun To Be Free.
Well, what changed? The queue is still a showroom of extreme cars. The cars might be switched out from time to time, you never know. You don't build your car anymore. It does save time in the queue (although later versions allowed you to skip that part if you wanted as did the single rider line). After that, you're at the boarding area, in the car to be tested. Then the ride begins. After the obligatory safety inspection (part of the attraction and a real safety check), you're on your way.
You now see the test as the car would see it, almost as if you are the car itself. The car talks during the ride and there is a narrator, too. It's a little confusing. And you experience options that may or may not happen in the future such as a road that can charge an EV car! The landscapes change throughout the ride: a hill, a cityscape, a house from the future (where you not only charge your car but build it too), a highway in the woods. A tunnel encounter has you missing a truck to test the car's reaction to sudden swerves. Your next views are more scenes from the future that show flying cars.
After that comes the one part that has never changed: the speed test. And the speedometer on the side of the track is still there to show you how fast you're going. Even though the number may not seem high compared to what some people can drive on a USA interstate highway, it feels very fast. Remember, it's an open car, with no roof, so you seem to be going faster.
Like the previous versions, the current Test Track still pays homage to the old Epcot theme of mixing fun with learning and science (edutainment) while creating a ride that everyone can still enjoy. Of course, there are the usual warnings for those with back issues, because the ride will start and stop quickly and there's fast ride at the end.
After the ride, there is a mural that pays tribute to the 1982 days when World of Motion was in this pavilion. This time, the old logo is out in the open instead of being hidden within the attraction. And as of this date, there are still activities you can play with when you exit the ride. It's a great place for people to wait if they do not want to ride. If the wait gets too long, head over to the Mission: Space exit and play with the activities there.
Well, that's my story of my Test Track experiences. We're off to stand in line or maybe buy a Lightning Lane pass to see if there are more hidden symbols. Hope they's still there in the new 2025 version. Come back for our report.
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