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4. Furius Baco

Image via Rik Engelen. Click for source.

Issue: Little elevation change
Location:
PortAventura Park (Salou, Spain)
Video: YouTube 

What’s so unimpressive about a coaster that launches from 0 – 84 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds? Sure, Furius Baco is a lightning-fast coaster (the fastest in Europe) and its unique winged-seating predated B&M’s now well-known Wing Coaster model by four years. It even has a sort of “dark ride” intro where a zany scientist and his monkey assistant accidentally launch you (aboard their new grape-harvesting winery machine) to that dizzying top speed. What it’s missing is elevation change... it has no "first drop!" In fact, it has no drops at all.

Sure, the coaster dips and dives here and there, but for the most part, this ultra-fast attraction keeps its riders on a steady level. The trains soar around a vineyard and twist through a stretched-out inline twist, but you won’t find a significant drop on this ride!

Verdict: For Furius Baco, speed is the name of the game. It accomplishes its goal, and it doesn’t need a drop to do it.

5. Verbolten

© SeaWorld Parks

Issue: Family coaster statistics marketed as more
Location:
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)

Video: YouTube 

Challenged with replacing a beloved and historic Lost Legend: Big Bad Wolf, Busch Gardens in Virginia decided to use its European theming and newly vacant plot in the German Oktoberfest land to bring a new tale to life. Verbolten reaches a respectable 53 miles per hour and blasts through two LSM launches, but it has one very unique feature that’s hidden from onlookers… The ride accelerates into a dark and foreboding Black Forest full of gnarled vines, lightning strikes, and fog-enshrouding branches.

A bit of theme disguises Verbolten’s modest statistics and its big secret – a freefall drop track where the entire coaster falls vertically sixteen feet. We chronicled the in-depth story in its own Behind-The-Ride: Verbolten feature. 

Verdict: Even with family-coaster billing and moderate statistics, Verbolten becomes a world-class ride thanks to its unique element, a unique story, and a massive Black Forest showbuilding. In this case, the coaster doesn’t need breakneck speed or 200-foot drops. It’s dressed to impress.

6. Top Thrill Dragster

© Cedar Fair

Issue: Sneeze and you'll miss it
Location:
Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

Video: YouTube 

When Top Thrill Dragster opened at Cedar Point, it was the first ever full-circuit roller coaster to top 400-feet. To reach its astounding 420-foot summit, the roller coaster launches from 0 – 120 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds. Okay, so Top Thrill Dragster is actually the definition of those record-breaking rides we started talking about. So how can less be more in a roller coaster that was the tallest and fastest in the world when it opened?

For all the pomp and circumstance of the incredible launch and the coaster’s soaring heights, the unbelievable teeth-chattering experience of Top Thrill Dragster lasts… 17 seconds. Blast 40 stories in the air, swirl down a vertical fall, and cross the finish line. While the 17 seconds that the ride lasts fly by, the ten or so seconds waiting for the launch lights to turn green feel like centuries.

Verdict: Top Thrill Dragster provides an experience that folks are willing to wait hours for. If your friends say they’re not willing to wait hours for a 17 second ride, know that the reason is almost certainly that they’re terrified, because it’s a life-changing 17 seconds.

Bigger is not always better

The era of the "Coaster Wars" from the early 2000s may be over, but that doesn't stop parks from going the extra mile to built record-breaking rides with extreme heights, drops, ride times, and speeds. But records don't guaruntee a popular and enduring ride... The rides we've listed here may not have the speed, height, or length, but they've become well-known and well-loved rides all on their own.

 
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Comments

How could you not include Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida?

In reply to by PastorJoe (not verified)

...because they are Disney-centric and they also hate Six Flags. Never a decent mention of Magic Mountain. It's always "cedar point this" or "cedar point that" - I totally agree with Maverick and its probably tied for the best ride in the park, alongside gatekeeper. Verbolten is also excellent. As for the others, well lets just say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it's wrong :-)

There are some inaccuracies in the Maverick entry. Cedar Point has a few coasters that are less than 100 feet tal that are older than Maverick. The park has never broken a record for coaster height. Colossus (TWO 100 foot+ drops in June 1978) Moonsault Scrable (229ft tall in 1983) Tower of Terror II (377ft tall in 1997) and Superman: Escape from Krypton (416ft tall in 1997).

Warning: Extreme Nitpick

"...enthusiasts across the world were stunned when Cedar Point announced 2007's Maverick, with “only” a 100-foot drop and two measly inversions."

Technically, Cedar Point announced and tested Maverick with THREE inversions.

Theming, especially dark indoor elements and track switches, falls, launches, rotations, etc., are much better than record breaking stats EVERY TIME!

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