El Toro • Six Flags Great Adventure

Il faut admirer El Toro pour une chose essentielle : l’exploit d’avoir réussi à faire aussi longtemps l’unanimité comme étant le meilleur grand-huit au monde avec un parcours d’une simplicité aussi ou...

Il faut admirer El Toro pour une chose essentielle : l’exploit d’avoir réussi à faire aussi longtemps l’unanimité comme étant le meilleur grand-huit au monde avec un parcours d’une simplicité aussi outrancière. C’est que l’éclatante réussite de cette montagne russe en bois tient à cela : il offre sur ce parcours d’un rare dépouillement un ravageur sentiment de déchaînement. Est-il réellement nécessaire de revenir sur l’ahurissante puissance qu’il déploie ? On n’en dira jamais assez… Qu’il s’agisse des creux et virages particulièrement écrasants, ou évidemment des bosses dont les airtimes sont devenus légendaires (à juste titre !), El Toro est absolument époustouflant de générosité : dès le premier camelback il nous fait dire qu’on a jamais vécu airtime aussi monstrueux, ce qu'on répètera avec euphorie deux autres fois dans son parcours, jusqu’à la fameuse « Rolling Thunder hill », considérée par beaucoup – et sans exagération – comme l’ejector le plus brutal qui puisse être. Étonnamment, peu de grands-huit se sont risqués à ce simple exercice de style, soit repousser tous les compteurs (vitesse, airtimes, puissance) sur un substrat des plus classique. Classique, dépouillé, mais étonnamment exhaustif : El Toro, c’est l’histoire du wooden réécrite par l’explosion contrastée des forces, de l’out-and-back au twister, de l’euphorie de l’airtime à la sauvagerie du changement de direction en passant par l’engouffrement dans les structures. Le réel coup d’éclat de Stengel ici a donc été le suivant : faire de la rigueur théorique de son parcours la condition de l’outrance sensationnelle qu’il délivre, transcendant toute opposition entre mesure et démesure. Un éloge paradoxal de la simplicité, en quelque sorte, et un immanquable classique des années 2000.

Wow mais c’est une bouse ?? Comment c’est possible d’avoir aussi mal après un coaster ? Je souffre dedans. La first drop a couper le souffle, les 2 camelbacks suivant impressionnant, mais après c’est ...

Wow mais c’est une bouse ?? Comment c’est possible d’avoir aussi mal après un coaster ? Je souffre dedans. La first drop a couper le souffle, les 2 camelbacks suivant impressionnant, mais après c’est bonjour la souffrance, la seconde partie au sol mais c’est l’horreur incarné, je comprend pas comment il peut être 21ieme mondial quand dans le même parc tu as jersey devil coaster. Bref déception, à faire pour le crédit mais pas plus pour éviter un torticolis.

Un wooden légendaire qui procure de bonnes sensations pour sa first drop et ses deux premiers camelbacks. Cependant, le reste du layout n'est clairement pas à la hauteur de sa réputation. Passé ce déb...

Un wooden légendaire qui procure de bonnes sensations pour sa first drop et ses deux premiers camelbacks. Cependant, le reste du layout n'est clairement pas à la hauteur de sa réputation. Passé ce début dantesque, il ne se passe malheuresement pas grand chose. J'ai trouvé les laps bars problématiques, le ride étant "extrême" elles se resserent beaucoup trop dans les creux à gros G+ comme sur Skyrush mais en pire. Le rolling thunder hill devient désagréable comme toute la seconde partie du layout d'ailleurs tellement la lap te compresse au niveau de l'entrejambe, ce qui n'est pas le cas sur Balder. Ajoutons à cela les pires vibrations que j'ai pu ressentir de toute ma vie sur un coaster lorsqu'on ride sur les roues, c'est juste inridable... J'ai eu 2-3 tours corrects sur 25 au total, le ratio n'est pas bon. J'ai cru mourir pendant certains rides avec le combo lap bar qui t'écrase et vibrations des enfers. Il faut absolument se mettre au milieu et même comme ça, pas sûr de passer un bon ride. Je prend en compte seulement les 2-3 tours corrects que j'ai eu pour le classer sinon il ne serait même pas dans mon top 100. Malheuresement pour moi, le mythe El Toro s'est effondré...

El Toro is up there with the best of the best and is arguably one of the best woodies in the world. Sitting right next to Kingda Ka, this intense ride has a ~180ft first drop that knocks your socks of...

El Toro is up there with the best of the best and is arguably one of the best woodies in the world. Sitting right next to Kingda Ka, this intense ride has a ~180ft first drop that knocks your socks off and doesn’t stop at all whether going through bumps, around banked, low turns or dives. The ejector airtime you get on the camelbacks is absurd. You will be uncomfortable during the ride and there is a significant rattle as of recent, but that just enhances how wild this woodie is. The name is 100% fitting: you are riding a bull.

I think I had a religious experience on this thing. Like... How did they do it? This has got to me the most intense ride experience I've ever had on a wooden coaster. My timbers were beyond shivered. ...

I think I had a religious experience on this thing. Like... How did they do it? This has got to me the most intense ride experience I've ever had on a wooden coaster. My timbers were beyond shivered. Send me off on this ride.

I did not expect El Toro to live up to the hype. I expected 4 awesome ejector airtime moments surrounded by a bunch of filler. This was an incorrect assumption, way off. El Toro is unbelievable. The d...

I did not expect El Toro to live up to the hype. I expected 4 awesome ejector airtime moments surrounded by a bunch of filler. This was an incorrect assumption, way off. El Toro is unbelievable. The drop and 3 camelbacks are just as good as people say, if not better. I have never experienced airtime this strong and sustained before, and experiencing it with such minimal restraint makes it feel much stronger. There are several other weaker pops of airtime, but they keep the pace. The turnaround section subjects riders to some very sustained positive gs, which is made even crazier by the insane jackhammering you experience at the valley of the swooping turn. I love the wooden jank of El Toro, I honestly hope it never runs as smooth as a steel coaster. El Toro is paced like Maverick and as intense as Skyrush. This is one of the best coasters on Earth, without a doubt

Tout est là. El Toro c'est un monstre d'intensité autant dans le bon que dans le mauvais côté. Il m'aura fallu trois tours pour apprendre à dompter ne serait-ce qu'une infime portion de la bête. Car c...

Tout est là. El Toro c'est un monstre d'intensité autant dans le bon que dans le mauvais côté. Il m'aura fallu trois tours pour apprendre à dompter ne serait-ce qu'une infime portion de la bête. Car chaque ride était très éprouvant. Sa vitesse et sa manière de s'engouffrer dans chaque partie du layout sans pause, aucune. Mais à ma grande surprise je l'ai trouvé davantage faisable à l'avant qu'à l'arrière qui est à mon gout, trop intense. Même si il est difficilement prévisible on ressort fatigué, secoué mais heureux d'avoir pu faire parti du bruit et de la course incessante de ce wooden légendaire.

I don't have the clearest memories of my rides on Toro, but I just recall the drop, and first two camelbacks having some absolutely batshit ejector. The section after the second camelback and before t...

I don't have the clearest memories of my rides on Toro, but I just recall the drop, and first two camelbacks having some absolutely batshit ejector. The section after the second camelback and before the notorious Rolling Thunder hill lets its foot of the gas a bit, but it's still fun! And of course, I did really enjoy the parts after the RT hill too, the low to the ground transitions and quick pops of airtime at the end are a reasonable finale for such a fantastic ride!

I rode this the day when it opened. The staff knew me and my family and invited me to ride the coaster. I had no idea what I was getting into. I sat in the back (since it was the only row available wi...

I rode this the day when it opened. The staff knew me and my family and invited me to ride the coaster. I had no idea what I was getting into. I sat in the back (since it was the only row available with the amount of crowds), and once we went down that first drop, I got a stomach drop like none other to the point where I hollered at the top of my lungs! That feeling made me avoid the ride until 3 years later, where I tried again, in the front. It felt less intense than when I was younger, but I still got the intense flojector. It is currently my #4. The Rolling Thunder hill is the best!

Features 4 of the greatest airtime moments, hell elements of any kind, on any coaster. The drop is my favorite airtime focused drop anywhere and the 2 camelbacks and the rolling thunder hill are some ...

Features 4 of the greatest airtime moments, hell elements of any kind, on any coaster. The drop is my favorite airtime focused drop anywhere and the 2 camelbacks and the rolling thunder hill are some of the strongest negatives you'll find anywhere. It placed higher after my first rides in 2018 and has slipped since my 2022 rides where it was rougher. If I didn't actively dislike the second half of this ride for the roughness I could see it being top 5, maybe even top 3. However, the first half is probably my favorite stretch on any rollercoaster.

I never knew a woodie could be this intense! The first 2 drops were brutal and not really for me. My favorite parts were definitely the banks, I haven't seen any of those like that on a wooden coaster...

I never knew a woodie could be this intense! The first 2 drops were brutal and not really for me. My favorite parts were definitely the banks, I haven't seen any of those like that on a wooden coaster.

Brilliance. I knew it was good but it still blew me away. I sat close to the back and the airtime i experienced was unparalleled. The most aggressive airtime i have ever experienced. Pure perfectio...

Brilliance. I knew it was good but it still blew me away. I sat close to the back and the airtime i experienced was unparalleled. The most aggressive airtime i have ever experienced. Pure perfection. Ranks #2

Oh. My. God. This ride is insane! I wasn't much of a coaster person when I rode this coaster 5 years ago, and by the time I got off my one ride in the back row, I knew it had to be my new number one. ...

Oh. My. God. This ride is insane! I wasn't much of a coaster person when I rode this coaster 5 years ago, and by the time I got off my one ride in the back row, I knew it had to be my new number one. I only have Iron Gwazi ranked higher but this is still a superb second!

First drop and first few air time hills were amazing, but then once it got to that turning part, the jackhammering started. The lap bar was banging on my thighs 10 times a second and it was just too p...

First drop and first few air time hills were amazing, but then once it got to that turning part, the jackhammering started. The lap bar was banging on my thighs 10 times a second and it was just too painful to be enjoyable. If you can ignore that it's a pretty decent ride, but I just couldn't ignore the pain on my legs.

Ok, not a woody fan. But oh my, this is like riding a dragon while holding its tail. What a beast! Definitely the last row at the end of the day. The first drop is insane for a wooden coaster. The air...

Ok, not a woody fan. But oh my, this is like riding a dragon while holding its tail. What a beast! Definitely the last row at the end of the day. The first drop is insane for a wooden coaster. The airtimes are beyond insane and specifically the very last hill. The pace and g-forces of the banked curves at the end is powerful!

Je suis pas trop fan des coasters en bois mais El Toro est si fluide qu'on dirait plus un coaster en acier qui vibrotte. La première drop et les deux premières bosses sont incroyable et vous satellis...

Je suis pas trop fan des coasters en bois mais El Toro est si fluide qu'on dirait plus un coaster en acier qui vibrotte. La première drop et les deux premières bosses sont incroyable et vous satellisent quand vous êtes au dernier rang. Seul bémol, la lap bar qui tente de vous cisailler les jambes.

I was a little disappointed by this one. I’d heard it had gotten rough and less good as time has gone on but I was still holding out hope that it would enter my top 20. No such luck. Still a fantastic...

I was a little disappointed by this one. I’d heard it had gotten rough and less good as time has gone on but I was still holding out hope that it would enter my top 20. No such luck. Still a fantastic ride but nowhere near the bliss described by other enthusiasts who rode it in its best years. Update - got a night ride after writing this, back row, and unfortunately it was even worse than the first. The rattle was so strong I had to stop screaming because I thought I might bite my tongue. I hope to ride this again after some maintenance and maybe then I’ll love it - for now dropping from a 4 to a 3.5

Véritable monstre de puissance ce El Toro. Des airtimes a vous en faire mal au jambe sur cette enchaînement avec la drop et les 2 camelback en back to back. Suivie d’une partie avec des virages chargé...

Véritable monstre de puissance ce El Toro. Des airtimes a vous en faire mal au jambe sur cette enchaînement avec la drop et les 2 camelback en back to back. Suivie d’une partie avec des virages chargé en g+ et quelque floating. Mais quand vous arrivé sur ce fameux « Rolling Thunder » le ride remonte en puissance avec un ejectors surpuissant et une suite de virage proche du sol complètement fou ou le train vous jettera de gauche à droite tout en ayant une excellente intensité. El Toro est un wooden exceptionnel, très puissant que ça soit en intensité ou en ejectors tout ça dans une fluidité exemplaire pour un wooden coaster.

I love both European Intamin Prefabs (Colossos and Balder), so I went on this ride with pretty high expectations. It is shocking what can happen to what seemed to be a world class rollercoaster. The e...

I love both European Intamin Prefabs (Colossos and Balder), so I went on this ride with pretty high expectations. It is shocking what can happen to what seemed to be a world class rollercoaster. The entire track rattles (the unbelievably bad track condition is visible from the front row). But that's not all. On top of that, the lap bars are atrocious here, even more than they admittedly usually are. Every train I saw in the station had to be double and triple checked before going out due to the awful restraints. And the lap bars themselves aren't very comfortable either. Apart from that, the ride has many very good airtime hills, nice transitions, no dead spots and probably one of the best layouts a wooden coaster can have. I suspect this was one of the best rollercoasters in the world hence the rank in the Top 100. But now this rollercoaster desperately needs a new track and restraint system.

Finally got to re-ride what had been my number 1 since 2016, and it's still there sitting at number 1. It's forceful, the airtime is incredible, it's aggressive. Slightly rougher than it used to be, b...

Finally got to re-ride what had been my number 1 since 2016, and it's still there sitting at number 1. It's forceful, the airtime is incredible, it's aggressive. Slightly rougher than it used to be, but not uncomfortably so, and the speed hill and final hill into the brake run are dead-zones, but I think the majority of riders would need those to recover. No coaster is perfect, but it is my favourite.

I was blown away when riding El Toro. I had high expectations and had heard that the ride was one of the best wooden roller coasters but it still surprised me. The airtime on that first drop is out of...

I was blown away when riding El Toro. I had high expectations and had heard that the ride was one of the best wooden roller coasters but it still surprised me. The airtime on that first drop is out of this world with crazy airtime. So fast so intense and I can safely say that it is so far the best wooden roller coaster I've ever been on and one of the best roller coasters that I've ever been on.

This is a properly demented roller coaster. The entire ride experience of El Toro is one of shock, thrill, pain, and joy. The airtime sequence of drop to camelback to camelback is, without question, t...

This is a properly demented roller coaster. The entire ride experience of El Toro is one of shock, thrill, pain, and joy. The airtime sequence of drop to camelback to camelback is, without question, the best in the world. The sheer sound that the upstop wheels screech out communicate just how absurd the ejector is on this beast. The rolling thunder hill compliments that opening showcase expertly, absolutely yanking you over the crest in the back row. The twister section is actually absurdly forceful, which is not something I expected from a ride that is always heralded as an airtime machine. And, to be clear, the first drop is the best I've ever experienced. The fact that you start getting pulled over the element before you've even finished the turn-around in the back row is hilarious and incredible. This glorious display of G-forces does not come without a cost, however. Toro is one of the roughest roller coasters I have ever ridden. You feel like you lost a brutal fight by the time you hit the brake run. There isn't even a headrest, and yet I had an awful headache after riding three times in a row. I did not care. This ride is excellent. 10/10 - because of the shirt I was wearing one of the ops starting calling me "Twisted Timbers" and pointing me to empty seats so I could reride; she is an icon

After haven ridden a big portion of the elite coasters in Europe and the US I was excited to finally ride El Toro. This was the biggest disappointment for me up to now. This ride rattles and shakes li...

After haven ridden a big portion of the elite coasters in Europe and the US I was excited to finally ride El Toro. This was the biggest disappointment for me up to now. This ride rattles and shakes like a 60 year old wooden rollercoaster and not like a smooth Intamin prefab. To all people who think this is a good ride visit Europe and ride Colossos and Balder and you will see how smooth these coasters are. It's a pity to see how negligent Six Flags takes care of this coaster. The track has not been completely renewed like Heide Park and Liseberg did. Furthermore the operations takes ages because trains are just the basic versions. In Germany and Sweden there is a light showing which lap bars per seat are not closed, here the operators only know the wagon and so they staple everyone in the whole wagon until the lap bars are closed properly. I can clearly see that this ride was an elite ride with clearly 5 stars but in the current sorry state it is just 4 stars as the ride with a stapled lap bar and this inferior track is just a nightmare.

The layout is amazing, it’s so insanely high and fast for a wooden coaster, you get to the top and you’re like wait a second I’m halfway up kingda ka on a wooden coaster with a lap bar. And the drop i...

The layout is amazing, it’s so insanely high and fast for a wooden coaster, you get to the top and you’re like wait a second I’m halfway up kingda ka on a wooden coaster with a lap bar. And the drop is insane, leading into an amazing layout with tons of airtimes. The speed is consistent so it’s intense the whole ride, and the reason I’m giving 4.5 and not 5 is because I will say when I went on it was actually painful, if you’ve been on any old coaster you know how rough they can be, now put that 180 feet off the ground and 70mph, it definitely beats you up a bit. But I still have to give it 4.5 because it’s a legendary wooden coaster with an insane layout, so the only bad thing is how its depreciated since it opened, but even though it’s rough it’s still a must ride over a lot of rides in the park.

Franchement un wooden exceptionnel. Que dire de la grandeur lorsqu'on se trouve devant. La first drop est intense lorsqu'on est au last et les deux camelbacks suivants procurent des éjectons que je n'...

Franchement un wooden exceptionnel. Que dire de la grandeur lorsqu'on se trouve devant. La first drop est intense lorsqu'on est au last et les deux camelbacks suivants procurent des éjectons que je n'ai que très très rarement eu. La première partie est très aérienne et la deuxième est au ras du sol. Le train ne perd pas sa vitesse. On en redemande ! Il y a de très légères vibrations lors du virage après les camelbacks mais cela ne perturbe en rien l'expérience

Great ride but in my opinion, a little overhyped. Everyone talks about the drop, two camelbacks, and Rolling Thunder Hill and all three are phenomenal, but not the greatest airtime I have ever experie...

Great ride but in my opinion, a little overhyped. Everyone talks about the drop, two camelbacks, and Rolling Thunder Hill and all three are phenomenal, but not the greatest airtime I have ever experienced like most people seem to claim. It's also gotten rougher over the years and is harder to ride more than twice in a row for me because of this.

It had been years, but finally got to ride what many call the greatest wooden roller coaster on earth, and does it live up to the hype? Mostly! Like many will say, the first drop is absurd and amazing...

It had been years, but finally got to ride what many call the greatest wooden roller coaster on earth, and does it live up to the hype? Mostly! Like many will say, the first drop is absurd and amazing, while the two camelbacks and drop before the switchback turns deliver some extremely excellent airtime, the turns also deliver some strong forces and the head choppers truly feel like you're gonna hit something. My only advice to perfect this experience, don't sit on a wheel seat, because the ride feels noticeably more rough there. El Toro does, however, live up to the hype it promises and still remains a phenomenally intense wooden coaster.

I'll start with negatives - when I rode for the first time in 2023 the turnaround was brutally rough. I can take a bit of wooden coaster shuffle, this was far worse than that. The return track and spe...

I'll start with negatives - when I rode for the first time in 2023 the turnaround was brutally rough. I can take a bit of wooden coaster shuffle, this was far worse than that. The return track and speed hill did nothing and felt like straight track. Other than that, absolute masterpiece. The first drop, camelbacks, and Rolling Thunder hill are quite possibly the best airtime moments on the planet. The switchbacks are awesome and don't get talked about enough. The star of Great Adventure and one that I hope sticks around for a long long time.

El Toro is at my home park of Great Adventure and this and Nitro are probably the 2 coasters I’ve ridden the most, so it’s safe to say I have a good feel for the ride. Despite it being a bit rough and...

El Toro is at my home park of Great Adventure and this and Nitro are probably the 2 coasters I’ve ridden the most, so it’s safe to say I have a good feel for the ride. Despite it being a bit rough and having poor reliability, this is still a 10/10. The airtime is unlike any other coaster I’ve experienced and the wooden feel makes it that much crazier. A must do for every coaster enthusiast.