El Toro: A Landmark Roller Coaster Is Born
Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here! Riding El Toro is something any coaster enthusiast, heck, any person
with a pulse should do. Especially if you think you know what wooden coasters have to offer. El Toro is going to turn your world upside down. The Plaza Del Carnival section is appropriately themed with a Spanish flare. The look and feel is definitely a step above cheesy or contrived. Right down to the sandy desert-like landscaping with chill pepper plants. Even the smell of the food reminded me more of restaurants in Mexico than Taco Bell. The Viper’s old southwestern station fit into the area perfectly. The trains are themed somewhat like mine train cars and have a very comfortable, next generation look and feel. Loading the trains is a bit slow, but the trains are longer than normal holding 36 riders compared to 24 on Thunderhead and 28 on The Voyage.
Intamin’s Prefabricated Wooden Coaster Delivers
The ride starts with a quick climb up a relatively quiet lift hill. Already the ride has been uncharacteristically wooden. As I crested the top I looked
over and down at Medusa. The height of El Toro gets forgotten, just because it’s not a record breaker. You quickly turn around and drop down the 176 feet of steep track at 76 degrees. This is easily the best first drop of any wooden coaster I’ve ridden, it provides some air and you really feel the steepness. You cross under some track and rise into the first airtime hill. You’re ejected north to the sky, even though you’ve been stapled in by the ride ops. The next hill offers more of the same blissful airtime. The swooping banked turn is next. It’s great especially if you’re seated on the right side of the train. Thanks to the prefabricated track, the ride is glass smooth so far and it’s even more apparent during the swooping turn. If you closed your eyes you’d think you were on a B&M hyper or some other type of steel coaster. After the turn, there’s another fun drop and a smaller, shorter drop that offers the least air on the ride.
Extreme Ejector Air & A Twisting Finale
Next the track quickly banks to the left which sets up coaster AIRTIME BLISS. The track finishes the turn then rises up and you drop straight into the twisted finale. This innocent looking hill has the sickest airtime on the planet! It’s so forceful that you feel if the restraints failed you’d end up being flung into the tiger exhibit over in the Golden Kingdom. After that El Toro finishes strong with a twisting section close to the ground reminiscent of another bull, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America. This twisting section is much more satisfying. You finish the twisted finale and eventually reach the breaks. All the riders I rode with returned with the euphoric feeling of heroin. People aren’t used to riding something so thrilling and comfortable. I had 3 rides on El Toro, but I could’ve re-rode 10 or 20 times if I could’ve. You’re not shaken, slammed, bruised, beat up, beat down, jolted, or smacked around the entire ride. Yet it’s thrilling from the beginning to the end.
There’s nothing that I would particularly change with El Toro (hence the perfect score). But I would’ve like to have seen a tunnel or two. It would only add to the ride. I’m a sucker for tunnels, terrain coasters, and the like. But let me be clear in stating that El Toro is missing nothing! It doesn’t unseat S:ROS at SFNE as the best coaster on the planet or Kumba as my personal favorite, but it comes pretty darn close. The Voyage and n
ow sits at number 3 on my Top Ten Coasters. This is why I try to save 10’s for rides that really deserve them. El Toro deserves one of my few 10’s and then some. I’m sure GCI and Gravity Group are doing push-ups if they’ve ridden this coaster. Intamin’s on its way to World domination. Final Rating – 10.0 (Superior)
Check out the rest of my rating scale here. Also, check out this great roller coaster video of El Toro. Note the speed of the lift hill and smoothness of the ride. You can really here those riders scream on those airtime-packed hills.
Note – This video was filmed by professionals with permission from the park. For safety reasons, please DO NOT take a camera on a roller coaster.
El Toro is rated ‘IN’ for Intense. It’s a 4 out of 5 on my Thrill Scale for of its height and speed.
What’s Your Take?
Questions or comments about El Toro? Leave ’em below.
Coaster Critic 
53 responses to “El Toro @ Six Flags Great Adventure | Coaster Reviews”
you misspelled heroin.
Thanks. That's not a word I use too often.
I hate wooden coasters. Or rather, when given the choice between wooden and steel coasters, I will almost always pick steel. The roughness of a wooden coaster always leaves me feeling like I need a chiropractic adjustment. Still, I had heard SO much hype about this coaster, and I wanted the credit. I took one look at this coaster and thought I was going to die on it. It looked so intimidating, and the drop looked so high and straight down….So I boarded El Toro with many reservations. We flew up the hill pretty darn fast for a woodie, rounded the corner, and took that drop like….well, a speeding bull. I grabbed the guy next to me and shouted a string of expletives as we sped through the course. He was laughing at my ecstatic terror so hard that I think he almost peed himself. Smooth as silk, this ride blew away everything else I rode in the park, and even when I got stuck on the lift hill on my third ride, I (along with my fellow riders) swore I wanted to stay on until we could ride the bull. I always said if I got stuck on a lift hill or anywhere on a ride, I would never ride it again. Yeah, I rode El Toro twice more after that unfortunate stall. This ride is my favorite coaster on the planet at this time. There are not enough words to describe the merciless bliss of this screamer. Maybe unrelenting, packed with airtime…nope, I can't do it. Too great.
Wow, I got a dozen rides in 2 days (all back seat) and could have kept going. This coaster really delivers! The only flaw is that it's over TOO SOON!
Judy, the most I've ever done this ride is 9 times in one four hour period. Could have done more, but the park was closing. LOL I was doing the math in my head the other day, and since I started going to Great Adventure last year, I've averaged at least 5 rides on Toro per visit. One can only hope and pray that some day Cedar Fair will pull their heads out of their arses and make some Intamin pre-fab woodies at their parks. Dorney has finally gotten clearance to build 200+ foot coasters without special permission from nearby developments, so perhaps they'll expand and get a prefab. Cross fingers!
Yes. Also, CP should ditch Mean Streak and build the world's tallest woodie. As much as they like records…
WOW! I rode this first yesterday with my 12 year old and it is the deal! The lap bar saved me from certain death…talk about feeling ejected….it is the BEST wooden coaster by far and actually one of the best I have rode period….
My number one wooden and my number 2 overall! This coaster is completely ridiculous. It gives the best airtime sensation i've ever had by far on a coaster! I'll never forget my first trip on this ride. I was actually a bit freaked out going over those airtime hills that i might rocket out, and this coming from a SROS/Bizarro veteran!
El Toro is my favorite roller coaster on the face of the Earth! I rate it #1 in best roller coaster of all time!!!!!
BEST WOODIE EVER!!! El Toro was awsome the air time and twist near the end were fanominal, and its drop was HUGE!!! i think cc`s right though that it could use some tunnles then it would be perfected.
Love this coaster!
This ride has the most ejector air on the first drop of any coaster on the planet. You are thrown over the hill in the back seat a 40 plus mph. Even though shorter that element is more extreme than any other drop on the planet. Including MF or Nitro. Atleast in the back seat that is. The front seat first drop is not neat as extreme as you are being held up by the back of the train halfway down the hill.
Last seat … right side … intense!
Now I know 99% of you will be thinking "This guy isn't right in the head" when I say this, but I don't really like El Toro. I mean, the ride is great and all, but it just doesn't have the feel of a woodie. Beast, Ravine Flyer II, Hades – they're woodies, but El Toro is smooth even compared to a brand new steel coaster. It needs some jolt to be a true, bonafide woodie.
i know what you mean, i enjoyed it and all, but it didn`t feel like a woodie, smooth as glass is good but it just didn`t feel right, i mean at least bizzaro had a slight rumble. but you have to take into mind if someone asked for a slightley rough woodie we`d get a replay of ROAR, all in all, this is the best we could ask for from six flags. (excluding bizzaro of course)
I have a question. Is the airtime on this coaster at a comfortable level? I'm talking about when you're stapled down so tight in the lap bar, is it painful at all physically? An example is the Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia. There's this one hill that's maybe 5 feet high (I'm not even kidding) and then a really steep drop after the crest of it. You go over it at maybe 40 mph, and it feels like you're being stabbed in the chest because of the tight pull over it, and also because of the roughness. That turned me off to a lot of these extreme airtime woodies because I NEVER want to feel anything like that again. Just wondered if there's a similar experience on this coaster and also Gravity Group's coasters where it appears you go over some pretty small hills with a lot of speed. Thanks in advance to whoever answers my question.
i didn`t feel like it hurt me at all, but i have noticed it on other woddies, Your welcome.
Good to know. Could you name a few that you say hurt in particular to add to my avoiding list?
Thunder bolt at six Flags New England although it`s not too bad, Cyclone at Six Flags New England that thing hurt like crap, and Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure. Hope it comes in use.
CC, could you put together a Voyage-El Toro coaster show down, just to see how many people dis/agree whith your awnser.
Ooh, yeah. That sounds good – Voyage vs. El Toro: Battle of the Best Woodies Around. Now THAT would be hyped about for a long while.
Austin, another ride to add to your avoid list is vertex at californias great america. Gave me a HUGE headache.
I deleted the last 5 or so comments from this post. I don't want to have to start banning people, but please don't post just for the sake of posting. If you want to do that, I suggest you exchange instant messenger screen names. So if we could keep the discussion to something to do with the post or use the Discussion page for stuff that's off topic, I'd appreciate it.
And yes, a Voyage vs. El Toro isn't a bad idea for a coaster showdown post.
Thanks!
Sorry about the attitude, CC. But what, we can't have any fun on your site? Ha ha, just kidding.
Haha, Coaster Critic, it's Plaza del Carnaval, not El Carnival. I would be kind of dissapointed if it were El Carnival, but the section overall is very well done. It almost equals Golden Kingdom. I think overall Great Adventure's a well-themed park, although the back of the Boardwalk could use some rehab, and maybe some more pirate scenery at the Lakefront.
Coaster Critic, I love El Toro as much as you do, and I thought you should see this. It is fine with me if Six Flags puts advertisements on their older coasters, but look at this. The lead car of El Toro has been turned into an ad for Stride gum. Hideous. Here's the link:
http://screamscape.com/html/sfgadv_-_general_0.ht…
They did the same thing to Kingda Ka.
^Oh my, I hope that looks better in real life…
My wife and I just got back from visiting Hersheypark Wed and then SFGA on Thursday. I have to say out of the 15 coasters we rode EL TORO was the BEST! I would probably have to say my #2 coaster. After riding El Toro it only made me imagine how incredible Intimidator 305 would be if it did not have the OTSR. You've already said all that needs to be said but man that is one GREAT COASTER!!!
The first time that I rode this, it was as if I went back in time and rode a combination of Coney Islands Cyclone and Tornado rollercoasters all combined into one. What a rush! This is definetly up there as a top ten coaster.
Having El Toro at my homepark makes me feel extremely thankful. It's by far my favorite wooden coaster (Bizarro at SFNE is my top overall but just barely) and given the chance I would ride it all day. The airtime is unbelievable and the fact that it's smoother than most steel coasters is another bonus. The first drop is insane and after that it's just airtime hill after airtime hill. This ride is definitely a 10/10.
I wish I had the nerve to get on the damn thing. I did ride it 5 times in August of 2010 but when I went back in September I completely lost my nerve. And I think it's because I rode it before and know what that first drop feels like that I can't get on it again. It's totally awesome, a fabulous ride, but plummeting down 176 feet at a 76-degree angle can be hard to take except for extreme thrill seekers. When I rode it, my palms were so sweaty that I felt I wouldn't be able to hold on and would go flying into the air despite the restraints (lap bar and seat belt). (Once I get past the 1st drop, I'm fine.) The last time I tried to get on it I felt panicked just looking at that monster and although it was my turn to ride I chickened out. And that's after spending money on a Flash Pass which allowed me to jump to the head of the queue. Help! If I had someone to ride with I could probably do it, but I don't. I'm pretty old and my friends are most definitely not into riding roller coasters so no-one will go with me. So I go alone and wish that I could stand up to that roller coaster and not let it get the better of me.
El Toro is SHOCKINGLY deceiving. It appears to be a regular wooden coaster but even standing in line–just the speed of the train passing by is amazing. The ride is one of the best EVER–better than Kingda Ka by a long shot. Better than many steel coasters and one of the few rides that lives up to its name/theme. It really feels like a bull has gone insane and the rider is being ripped along the track. Too bad Six Flags leaves a lot to be desired in the quality department. I wish they would move El Toro to Busch Gardens Williamsburg!!
I licked your descripton, "like a bull has gone insane and the rider is being ripped along the track."
The ejector air was so fierce on this ride that I actually think I had my eyes shut! I was being thrown up and down in my seat, and it felt like my stomach was being ripped apart! It sounds bad but really it is aaaweesome!
The last time I rode El Toro, it seemed as though the airtime on that one hill just didn't amaze me. Maybe I was expecting just a bit too much, but it just didn't throw me that much.
Best woody in the world. One of the best air time coasters period. One of the world's best, in my opinion. If you're looking for an alternative steel or woody, I'd say Nitro at SFGA, Diamondback at King's Island, Intimidator at Carowinds or Colossos at Heide Park.
I LOVE ELLL TOOROOOOO WITH A PASSION! ITS THE ABSOLUTE BEST ROLLER COASTER OUT THERE…BY FARRR! ITS SOOO THRILLING AND EXTREMELY FUN! IVE RIDDEN EL TORO OVER 30 TIMES NOW AND LET ME TELL YOU…IT DOES NOT GET OLD! I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE! ITS A BLAST AND ITS EXTREMELY SMOOTH! THE FIRST DROP IS INSANE! BEST COASTER IN THE WORLD! #1 IN MY BOOK! 🙂
I love this ride! Great lift, drop, airtime and smoothness. The only thing bad about it is the ride ops staple you in way too far. And like cc said, you still get airtime, which sometimes hurts my legs getting ejected into the lap bar. But it is awesome and the best wooden coaster ever.
MAGNIFICENT! Hands down, whenever I ride a new coaster this is the one I invariably compare it to. And nothing has come close yet. I admit that I prefer wooden rides to the overly smooth steel track ones, but this one is perfect in every way no matter how you look at it.
Is El Toro the tallest and fastest OPERATING wooden coaster in America? Son of Beast is not operating. El Toro has to be.
El Toro is the most fabulous creation I have ever ridden. Funny how things change; less than a year ago I posted on this site because I was afraid to ride it and now can't get enough of it! I love this ride! Rode it 6 times on July 4, 2011 and would have ridden it more had there been time. The first drop is totally awesome and the rest of the ride is spectacular. I find the track layout ingenious and appreciate the fact that because it's so smooth, it affords a high thrill ride without subjecting the rider to physical abuse. (The one exception is one drop coming off a curve, where the lap bar always socks me in the hip although that's a testament to the airtime.) I went to Indiana six weeks ago to ride The Voyage, just to see what all the fuss was about, why that coaster got a Golden Ticket award for #1 woodie. Well, it's a great ride, but in my opinion El Toro is a better ride – and I must say that after 7 rides on The Voyage I was beginning to feel banged up, something that doesn't happen on El Toro. In my opinion El Toro is #1 beyond a reasonable doubt. Ole!
Sit in the last car for one of the most insane coaster rides you will ever experience. Best first drop. Best chain lift. Amazing airtime. Perfect name. Sitting in the back verses the front gives you two completely different ride experiences. I MUCH prefer the back, but I still loved the front. Oh, and one more thing I'd like to rave about is that small drop right near Rolling Thunder…. HOLY **** I have never experienced airtime like that before. The only flaw is that it's over too quick.
This is one insane and insanely good ride! Shot to the top of my all time favorites in no time. Just awesome from start to finish!
el toro is amazing!! way better than kingda ka. best coaster in the park
I will limit my comments, already having reviewed this coaster at length on other websites, to say that 1) I agree with Joel that it's just about perfect; I would make alterations to any number of other coasters but El Toro is the coaster perfection incarnate; 2) in my opinion it's superior to The Voyage and as a result it annoys the hell out of me that The Voyage has been consistently getting a Golden Ticket award for #1 woodie; 3) as a veteran of approximately 50 rides on El Toro, I can say that it never gets to be old hat.
I know this is an old post, but I rode this yesterday for the first time in two years, and it has gotten significantly rougher… I remember, and you stated in the review, that it's extremely smooth for a woodie, and feels like a steel coaster. However, I think it's starting to show it's age. It was pretty rough, and I was bumping (for lack of a better word) around in my seat, especially during the high speed 90 degree turns at the bottom. I walked off he ride with a slight headache and a hurting side. Maybe I just happened to ride on a bad day, but this was disappointing from my 4th favorite coaster. It's still a great ride, but after this I think it went down from a 10 to a 9 in my book. (I rode it twice, by the way, same story second time.)
I rode El Toro a week or so ago for my first times. I'd say an 11 out of 10. Having missed it's earlier years, I would not call it rough. I also would not say it's as smooth as steel in those wonderful turns. Still much smoother than Ravine Flyer 2 was this July…
Best air ever!!!!!!!!
Tied with I305 for my #1
I finally rode El Toro this past weekend. Wow is an understatement. I got almost 20 rides in two days, including evening ERT (Riding of the Bull Cinco). Front seat, back seat, middle, every car.
It feels like it’s probably not quite as smooth as it was on opening day — especially the far turnaround — but still magnitudes smoother than 90% of wood coasters. I did get a big bump on my elbow that will take a few days to heal.
The park says they haven’t had to retrack the ride yet, which is very impressive.
Great pacing, great elements, even the middle section (the return past the station before the RT ejector hill) is better than most coaster’s best parts.
I look forward to comparing this with Rocky Mountain coasters.
Mark, I did RotB as well, and I actually felt I got the best rides on Toro since I first rode it about 6 years ago. It was actually a bit TOO intense for me. It was really running completely wild, and I stopped after 5 or 6 laps and moved on to other things. I didn’t think to ask if they’d retracked at all, but I’m astounded that they haven’t done anything in that vein to it. Does it toss you around? Absolutely, but I never get a vibration or bumping or shaking or shuffling when riding it. I’m so psyched for opening day to ride again…if I actually get to ride anything after getting my season pass and the Rolling Thunder piece/certificate, that is!
I know this is an old post, but I went on this ride yesterday and it was the bumpiest and most rough ride I’ve ever been on. Jerks you forwards and backwards. Most likely so rough from the age. After going on it my whole neck is in excruciating pain. The thrill was great, but the whole neck thing put a big damper on the ride.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’d hoped that El Toro would stay smoother than most wooden coasters because it’s a different kind of woodie. Hope they make improvements to keep it smooth.
I have a season pass and went to six flags solo, which is surprisingly fun given the freedom to go when and where I want all day. At gates open, went straight to nitro for 3 runs. Nitro is still epic, and a solid second place… But el toro is just amazing. I’ve been to many parks and have ridden many coasters, but I can’t think of anything that tops el toro in terms of overall experience. Somehow, even though I’ve been on it dozens of times, el toro delivers the ” first time ” feeling. No matter how prepared the most experienced riders are, this coaster delivers a solid and thrilling ride every time. Besides the epic drop and steel coaster- like smoothness, the several “zero- g/ stomach in the throat” moments are what make el toro special. I would venture to say that this is the feeling that all fellow coaster junkies crave, and el toro not only delivers them in spaids, but throws them at you like haymakers from a heavyweight. Tip for riders to enjoy this feeling- release your grip on the hill crests and let your body float… Pure bliss. This has to be one of the best coasters on the planet. No question. If there were a coaster hall of fame, el toro gets my vote… Truly epic
Wonder when was the last time you tried it as the one and only time I tried it was in 2018 and it was not as smooth as you make it appear. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad ride, but it was just as smooth as I would expect from a wooden coaster going that fast, which is not enough for me to enjoy.