Disney and Chevrolet take kids to the test track
Disney, Chevrolet team for unique design-ride experience
Bling-bling wheels. A cockpit-like interior. A jacked-up back end. And power to spare. At age 10 my daughter Grace is quite the car designer.
We’re at the grand reopening of the Test Track Presented by Chevrolet ride at Disney World in Florida and Grace is one of the first to try out the new design-your-own-car feature of the attraction.
“In the past Test Track was more industrial,” said Erin Youngs, vice-president of the Epcot theme park where the attraction is located in the Future World section.
“The reimagined Test Track is now more about design and the ride experience.”
I decide to stand back and let Grace fashion her own vehicle on the computer monitor.
Remember, this is at busy Disney World, so there are lots of computer monitors and a lineup behind us going through the same display of Chevrolet concept cars that we did.
The Miray concept car is silver, low and aggressive-looking, the EN-V Electric looks like a covered Segway.
Would-be designers get some brief instructions — basically be creative and take inspiration from the concept cars, but remember it’s still a vehicle that has to be roadworthy.
And then you get five minutes to put together a prototype of your dream car.
Grace chooses the muscle car chassis, a metallic green exterior and embellishes it as only a 10-year-old girl with no idea about car design can.
It looks hot, but how will it perform on the Test Track ride?
The ride itself is a lot like climbing into a six-seater roller-coaster, with your car design virtually put through its paces at the same time on the same course.
The ride takes off like a bat out of hell and it’s immediately into hairpins and straightaways.
There’s lurching braking in the rain, skidding on ice and a screeching near miss with a jackknifing 18-wheeler truck.
Along the way, racetrack signs let you know how your car design would have fared in these life-or-death situations.
Grace’s ultra-sports car scores a disappointing 40 for capability and an even worse 39 for efficiency.
Responsiveness was a little better at 56, but, thanks to incredible acceleration on the racetrack straightaway her design nets a top 72 in power.
Off the ride and into the automotive laboratory, she scans her memory card to find her car scored an overall mediocre 207.
Oh well, she can think efficiency and capability next time.
The memory card with the design still on it also allows Grace to make her own car commercial on another computer monitor.
She had her metal l ic green beauty zip through a moonscape set to disco music while an announcer with a cowboy drawl outlined its attributes.
Of course, she used the email option to send it to herself and her friends.
The last stop is the futuristic showroom where all the 2013 Chevrolet models are on display amid ever-changing lighting.
“It’s not meant to be a sales experience,” pointed out Youngs.
“But there is a product specialist there if you want information or to be directed to the Chevrolet dealer in your hometown.”
Grace gravitates toward the Camaro, saying it resembles her concept car, but a little tamer and butter yellow.
Of course, she gets her picture snapped with the Camaro while a megatropolis skyline at night sparkles in the background.
All the cars look good in this setting — the little Spark, the electric Volt, the economical Sonic, the stylish Malibu sedan, the Traverse SUV, the Silverado truck and the top-of-the-line Corvette.