New Test Track Reimagining Coming to EPCOT

If you aren’t the biggest fan of the most recent version of Test Track, I have some really good news for you. A reimagining of Test Track is coming to EPCOT in 2025 and work is already underway!

A lot of fans have been disappointed with Test Track 2.0 since its debut in 2012 and so now Disney will get a chance to right all the wrongs with Test Track version 3.0. And it’s paying homage to the original attraction located in that building…World of Motion!

In this post, we will explain everything we know about the new Test Track attraction coming to EPCOT including what could change with this renovation and when we can expect it to open. We will also cover our thoughts on the change (we’re ecstatic btw) and what it means for the park moving forward.

(UPDATE) – We have been waiting for months to find out some actual details about the new Test Track refurbishment including when it will open, and we now have that answer. Disney has announced that the latest version of Test Track will open in Late Summer 2025, though we don’t have an exact date at this time.

At the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” during the D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Disney revealed it is working together with Chevrolet to push innovation forward and celebrate humanity’s enduring drive on the thrilling road to a brighter tomorrow. 

Disney has also released a look at new concept art for Test Track, and even the outside of the building is getting refreshed and it looks very similar to the original World of Motion exterior, and is much more attractive-looking than the current exterior which looks like scaffolding that’s been left set up for years.

The original announcement for the new Test Track project came from “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at Destination D23 on September 9, 2023. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at the attraction, and everything else coming to the EPCOT in the coming months and years.

Along with Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty, they announced that Disney Imagineers as well as teams from Chevrolet are working together on this next iteration of Test Track and they are reaching back into history, taking inspiration for the new version from the classic attraction World of Motion.

Not too many details have been announced at this time, but we did get a cool concept art image that shows a potential scene from the new iteration.

One thing we did notice in the concept art is that it looks like Test Track may be leaving its combustable engine roots and moving into the EV era.

Walt Disney Imagineering has said: “Test Track will celebrate today’s innovation while highlighting the past, present, and future. The queue will feature six distinct exhibits, and within each room celebrate the vehicles – and people behind the vehicles – that push the envelope and help get people to our next chapter in our motion journey.

New show scenes will be added showcasing technological advances and how our lifestyles and relationships to mobility connect everyone. Enjoy a joy ride through scenes focusing on onboard technology, customization and personalization. Followed by a trip through a scenic outdoor route reminding us all of the joys of driving, taking in the world around us and spending quality time with friends and family.”

As far as the ride system and vehicles, don’t expect anything to change there. The first two versions of the attraction have used the same cars and track, and we expect that to stay the same here as well. For example, in the art we can see a scene where the car is going up a hill with a curved road that looks like the one currently in the ride.

What we can expect to change are the story of the ride, the show scenes, and the attraction queue. Based on the latest concept art, this ugly exterior is going away for a much more sleek-looking one.

We also know for sure that the ride vehicles are getting a completely new look. To me that means the vehicles themselves are staying, but they will get a paint job and other aesthetic changes. I wouldn’t count on them getting any more comfortable, though one can always dream.

The current version of Test Track opened in December 2012 replacing the original version which debuted on March 17, 1999. Version 1.0 was sponsored by GM and it took riders on a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that GM uses on their cars before putting them into production.

I’m not going to go into all the reasons here, but that version of the ride was infinitely better than the one we have now which is a stripped-down shell of the original attraction and pretty boring until you get to the final high speed stage.

The queue was much more interesting as you got to see all the different cars and the testing methods they use on them to get them road-ready. I loved the crash dummies!

Instead of the awesome pre-show we got a useless room where you create your own “sim cars” which have absolutely no bearing on the attraction itself except for some meaningless testing numbers while riding on the “sim track.”

Then on the ride itself we lost the heat and cold chambers, the testing robots animatronics, and the much more interesting model city. Instead we were given empty rooms and poorly designed “futuristic” roads, and pretty much zero special effects or things of interest to look at during the ride. Plus it completely lacks any personality.

Did I say I wasn’t going to get into why the current version stinks?

I guess it’s plainly obvious that we love the idea of re-doing Test Track as almost anything they can do to it will be better than what is there now. Test Track 3.0 will now be sponsored by General Motors (just like the original World of Motion attraction was) which represents a broader sponsorship than just Chevrolet, as Test Track 2.0 had.

We like this change in sponsors and we are confident that Disney Imagineers have learned from previous mistakes and will do it right this time.

The fact that version 2.0 is only 11 years old and they are already doing a major renovation tells you all you need to know. More so than from Disney, I think the pressure is coming from Chevrolet to do it since they are the ones paying for the attraction and they will make sure it actually get built.

Other rides like Journey Into Imagination with Figment have been around for 20 years but are still waiting for refurbishments even though guests have voiced their displeasure now for years.

In any case, to see Disney taking action with Test Track is extremely positive, and frankly, something I wasn’t expecting at all in the next couple of years.

We also love the fact that the new version will be inspired by World of Motion. Anything that gives us that old-school EPCOT Center vibe is 100% welcome in my book. World of Motion was full of humor, so is that what Disney means when they are taking inspiration from this original attraction?

I don’t see them going all-out with gags similar to World of Motion, but adding some laughs to the new version would be a welcome addition, and a stark contrast from the cold and impersonal attraction it is replacing.

So when will Test Track 3.0 open? At this point we do not have an exact opening date for the new ride but we do know that the new version of Test Track is opening some time in Late Summer 2025.

This is an encouraging announcement from Disney since previously they had said Test Track 3.0 would open in “Late 2025.” I’ll take pushing it up to the Summer as a positive development.

Originally, I was thinking a Mid-2025 made a lot of sense. The most recent version of Test Track closed on June 17, 2024 and work on the new ride started immediately after that. The last time they went from Test Track version 1.0 to version 2.0 it took 9 months, and since they started working on the Test Track reimagining sometime in June 2024, 9 months would bring us to early 2025.

However, it’s clear that this time it will take a little longer and we may be looking at more than a full year. The last time they did way more taking things out of the ride than putting new stuff into it, and I would imagine that this time it could be more details incorporated into the design, which may take a little longer.

Disney usually does an annual refurbishment to Test Track in January/February, so I’m surprised they didn’t want to start earlier, especially since now this means the attraction will be closed for all of the Summer and Holiday season this year.

That’s not ideal for a park that was already low on must-do attractions.

A renovation could take around 1 year to complete depending on what exactly they are doing to it. So since it closed in June 2024, and Disney is saying “Late Summer 2025” I wouldn’t expect the new version of Test Track to open up anytime before August or even September.

One thing Disney announced recently is that testing of the new ride vehicles will begin in early 2025 and that “Guests should be on the lookout as the cars return to the track with their new look early in the year!”

I am happy that the plan of reimagining Test Track is well under way, and that it is being funded by General Motors. However, all the details around it have not come out yet and that could take some time.

Disney is currently working on a similar project replacing Splash Mountain with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and that was announced all the way back in 2020 and didn’t open until Summer 2024.

That is a much more complicated ride system to deal with so I don’t expect Test Track to take that long. Either way Disney is certainly building some excitement for the future of a park that has been in rough shape in recent years.

That wraps up our look at the new Test Track reimagining. One thing is for sure, it’s definitely going to be one of the most anticipated new attractions coming to Disney World in the next few years. We’ll update you more here as soon as Disney shares some more details about the show, so stay tuned!

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Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about a new version of Test Track coming to EPCOT…

• Are you excited about it?
• Would you prefer that stay as the current version of the ride?

Let us know in the comments section below!