Test Track 3.0 is officially open at EPCOT. As the third iteration of Disney’s first thrill ride and the fourth attraction in the space, it has big shoes to fill.

Test Track History

In 43 years of EPCOT, General Motors is the only corporate sponsor to stick around — originally sponsoring opening-day attraction World of Motion and then its replacement, Test Track. World of Motion explored the history of transportation while Test Track took a look at modern vehicle testing. It was Disney’s first true thrill ride and opened in March 1999.

It was originally supposed to open in 1997 but experienced various issues and delays. The complex slot car ride system continues to be finicky and Disney’s competitors have failed to replicate it or even produce anything similar.

Test Track changed the game, inspiring other headlining attractions at Disney Parks around the world. There was Rocket Rods at Disneyland but, more notably, Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure.

The conceit of the original Test Track had guests visiting a GM automotive testing facility. It was designed to show guests what happened before a car passed testing and hit the road. The queue had kooky displays like a test dummy getting hit by a hammer. There was a pre-show with original characters Sherrie and Bill — and the pre-show is where WDWNT’s favorite 7 joke comes from. Bill asks Sherrie to load up test 7, to which she responds, “Seven?” and he says, “Yeah. Seven.”

That Test Track closed in 2012 and reopened as Test Track 2.0 later that year. With the restructuring of the automotive industry, and GM filing for bankruptcy, they decided to focus on their sub-division, Chevrolet. The new Test Track sponsored by Chevrolet was no longer designed as a test facility. Instead, guests designed a sim car that they then tested. This was around the introduction of MagicBand technology. The actual ride was the same, just the theming changed.

Though originally well-received, Test Track 2.0 became tedious over time as the car design pre-show slowed down the queue process and there was no real pay-off for that part of the experience when screens along the ride track rarely presented how your car performed, as was intended. It’s strange that Disney never made some kind of product that would allow guests to assemble and take home their custom car. It’s especially weird considering they were partnered with Ridemakerz at the time and had custom car toy kiosks in Disney Store locations.

In 2024, Test Track 2.0 closed to make way for an all new Test Track — which Disney said several times would be inspired by World of Motion. Does it echo the original attraction? How does it stack up against its other versions?

Test Track 3.0 Exterior

The updated entrance is a big positive. They tore down the big, ugly canopy, which was added for the original Test Track and acted as a preview center before it opened.

You can finally see this beautiful pavilion again. There’s a magic to the old Future World architecture. They added a small canopy that’s nothing special, but is necessary to keep guests and Cast Members outside comfortable.

The new sign is perfectly fine. The colors and text styling do evoke the World of Motion marquee and they restored the circular planter.

Test Track 3.0 Queue

The queue has gone through a radical transformation. In Test Track 1.0, you could see the ride somewhat through frosted glass. This has been replaced with clear glass, so you can see the test vehicles begin their journey. There’s a lot of nice natural light coming in through the front windows of the pavilion now that the canopy is gone.

We enjoyed that a screen shows footage of the TransCenter, the original post show for World of Motion. Other than Cinderella Castle, the TransCenter was the most photographed location at Walt Disney World at that time.

I wish there was more to the queue. There are a few displays, but a lot of empty wall space and a lot of wall decals. The access cabinetry for the screens is also distracting, facing guests and leaving a lot of empty walls. There’s not a lot of movement in the queue either beyond what is played digitally.

I appreciate in the second room, as they introduce the “concept cars,” which return in the attraction. When you turn the corner, there’s a model of a Test Track vehicle, leading to the fantasy element of the ride that explains this is a GM research & development vehicle.

Test Track Ride Vehicles

The vehicles are the same cars, but with a new paint scheme. It’s black with blue elements and a light across the front. While the other concept cars we encounter in the attraction are silver, streamlined, and futuristic with rounded edges — like if Cybertrucks looked good — the Test Track vehicles look like they are from 1998.

The original concept art showed an updated, more futuristic car that would have worked well. I assume the budget ran out so there wasn’t money to do this, but you’d have to blame the sponsor. I’m not saying they should have replaced the cars in full, but slight changes to the body would have made a difference. As is, the vehicles fall short of the vision promised by the rest of the attraction.

I also hate that in the car, they just covered the old screens with plastic panels that aren’t even a perfect match in color.

The load area is mostly unchanged. There’s some different decor but nothing terribly exciting.

Test Track Ride Experience

One of my biggest problems with 2.0 was that it lacked heart and characters. You were just alone in the experience, sometimes hearing a generic robot voice explain what was going on.

Now there are two original characters again in a generic man and his car. There’s a back and forth throughout, bringing some much needed personality to the attraction.

The only scene I really have a problem with is the uphill hallway at the very start. It has antiquated lighting on two generic tarp walls. Maybe it’s designed to not distract us from the hosts introduction, but it’s not great. It wasn’t great in 2.0, but it was certainly better with more going on projection-wise.

Thankfully, the ride is considerably better from that point. The music is not great, but it’s fitting of modern-day EPCOT. Of course, it’s at its best when it replicates “It’s Fun To Be Free” from World of Motion.

The next scene is about how a car sees the world. You start by seeing a city street as you would usually see. There is a physical building, you can see through windows, etc. Then the view wipes away and is replaced by the dots and lines a car sees. There’s also a fun thrill of an impending collision done via a fast moving prop car and projection effects. It’s a fantastic scene with a few “wow” moments.

2.0 felt like a light overlay at times, especially with these “brake test” scenes (what they were originally in 1.0). I like how they have been completely repurposed to tell a new story and are also sealed away from the other scenes now.

The next scene is about inductive charging roads. Again, a brilliant repurposing of a ride profile meant to evoke something completely different.

We progress to a home of tomorrow with the house number 10182 for October 1, 1982 — the opening day of EPCOT Center. Inside, you see how you could someday customize your vehicle from the comfort of your own home. There’s a World of Motion Easter egg on the right — a 3D printed model of the sea serpent scene.

Two scenes back to back overlay the vehicle with different projected bodies. This technology has come a long way in 13 years. The projections follow the moving vehicle seamlessly, which wasn’t always the case with the projection scenes in the last iteration. One of the bodies is yellow and silver — possibly an homage to the Test Track 1.0 cars.

Then you’re off on the “open” road (this area is still inside). There’s another World of Motion reference when the car says, “It’s always fun to be free!” A snippet of the “Fun to be Free” music from World of Motion plays before switching to the new Test Track instrumental.

2.0 felt like a technology test during the infancy of projection mapping. This Test Track feels more like a Disney attraction since Imagineers focused on building out the scenery with trees and a physical sunset backdrop.

In the tunnel, the old truck has been replaced by a futuristic truck of tomorrow, but it’s the same swerving moment — and now we’re in the future!

There are more audio Easter eggs including “Keep moving forward,” a famous Walt Disney phrase and reference to “beyond the horizon” — perhaps a Horizons homage. The overall optimistic view of the future in Test Track 3.0 feels very much like Horizons and other old EPCOT attractions, many of which concluded with a look into the future. It’s heartwarming to see this viewpoint again in a Future World attraction (now World Discovery, but I’m old and stubborn).

There’s a thoughtful lighting effect above a futuristic car, making it look like traffic is going by. Then you turn into a large projection dome displaying a future city with bustling traffic. It reminds me of the end of Magic Kingdom’s Delta Dreamflight when you saw a CGI city of the future (again, I’m very old).

Then you blast through the doors outside — when they are working. There was a crash during Cast Member previews, but the doors do work as intended. They are made of breakaway foam so they can open at the last second but won’t hurt anyone if the timing is off. There are not yet new doors.

I love that there’s music in the outdoor section. Hearing this and not just noises from the vehicle continues the pleasant vibes of the current iteration. In fact, “pleasant & relaxing” is the general vibe of Test Track 3.0.

One thing that bothers me, that is not a mistake or a bad thing technically, is that they replaced the old speedometer outside with a modern LED display. It would have been a nice nostalgic thing to keep, but I understand I will be in the minority on this.

As you get back inside, there’s a bit of comedy between the narrator and the car. They then say they’ll “see you in the future,” which is only weird because Spaceship Earth ends with the same slogan.

Test Track 3.0 Post Show

Another homage to old EPCOT is an exit mural of the futuristic city. When I was a kid, these murals were hand-painted and there was, of course, a magic to that. In 2025, theme parks don’t really do this very often, so the decal wall is what we have to settle for. Still, the thought is nice.

It is funny how the queue has displays about environmental friendliness and the ride talks about induction charging, and then you walk into the show room and see a Corvette, not exactly the most eco-friendly car.

Corvette aside, the show room feels more open. The main path works around the left in a big curve, helping open up the space. There was more show to the last version with interactive elements, but it’s not a huge loss.

Overall Thoughts

The queue and the post-show are a downgrade from Test Track 2.0, but the meat and potatoes — the actual ride — is better and so much more Disney. So much so that we can’t even be upset about the other things.

In 1998, Test Track was thrilling, but as time went on and technology pushed the envelope further, it wasn’t the pinnacle of intensity for a Disney theme park. It’s the most family-friendly “thrill” ride at EPCOT compared to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Mission: SPACE, so the more joyful vibe makes sense. It’s optimistic throughout and dare I say relaxing to ride. I think it will put a smile on every guest’s face.

Test Track is now a quintessentially EPCOT attraction with an optimistic view of what the future could be. In the 1980s, EPCOT was about edutainment and detailed dark rides. This ride is ’80s EPCOT in spirit and fits with the “magic of possibility” tagline at the park today by mixing in fantastical cars of tomorrow.

While Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is fantastical with mostly made-up concepts, Test Track 3.0 is a fantastical ride rooted in reality, using a made up concept cars to get people excited about the future of transportation. This may inspire young guests to take an interest in the topic, which was the original purpose of EPCOT Center.

For the record, this can be done with IP attractions. Journey of Water Inspired by Moana is a good example, using familiar characters to teach guests about the water cycle. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is fun, but it’s not EPCOT in that there is little, if nothing , to learn.

The original Test Track will always be my favorite because of nostalgia, but 3.0 is as good if not better. I was bored of Test Track 2.0 and didn’t feel the need to say goodbye to it. I feel things for this version of the ride and I think I’ll keep those feelings for a while. It’s a good example of how EPCOT should be treated going forward and how Disney should handle updates to existing attractions. Whatever is next for the park (Spaceship Earth? Journey Into Imagination?) I hope it embodies the same spirit as Test Track 3.0.

Test Track 3.0 Honest Review Video

Watch the video version of this honest review below.

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Shannen Ace