El Toro Review - Six Flags Great Adventure

El Toro

Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey

This bull doesn't quit from start to finish, its one of the best coasters in the world.

The first drop is best experienced towards the back.

Score: ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➈ ➉ 8.06/10

95th Percentile 

Height Requirement: 48" / 122cm
Top Speed: 70mph
Inversions: 0

Where to Sit on El Toro: Second to Last Row.

Excitement: 9.4/10 El Toro doesn't quit. This aptly-named ride starts fast, ends fast, and never has a dull moment. The lift hill is quick, the airtime is out of this world, and the ending is furious and not in control. The highlight of the ride is the Rolling Thunder hill, which is one of the final air hills, and the one that once used to cross over the Rolling Thunder Roller coaster. (It still technically does as this portion of Rolling Thunder is actually still constructed under the ride.) This hill is truly the moment where El Toro earns its name.
Over time, El Toro has become a bit rough, this means you want to select the middle row of any of the three-row cars. It's the reason we select the second to last row vs. the very last row. The difference is incredible and it makes this ride that much more enjoyable.

The first of many air hills.

Pacing: 9.6/10 This ride has, quite possibly, the best pacing of any ride out there. There's a bit of down time during the first turnaround, but before you can catch your breath you're thrown under the support structure of the ride and into another air hill. The ending is low to the ground and feels quick because of the terrain interaction. It's almost perfect.

Technicals: 9.1/10 This ride used to be much smoother, but being able to choose the row you sit in makes it just fine in every middle row. The layout uses its space incredibly well, going out towards the center of the park, and then back into the infield of the old Rolling Thunder roller coaster. It's a perfect footprint that is very effective. The ride also has a throughput that keeps the line moving at a reasonable pace.

The final twister section can be seen through the queue fence.

Theming: 3.4/10 The theming on El Toro is lacking a bit. It's under par for a roller coaster, but about average for Six Flags theming. It doesn't pass by many props, but interacts with its support structure well, and the name paired with the way the coaster rides fit together perfectly. It could use a better queue and overall story line, but makes up for it with its surroundings. It's a very visible ride along a small river, and photographing the first half of the ride is easy because of the interaction with the pathways.

Uniqueness: 8.8/10 This is one unique ride that fits its space well and has an almost perfect layout on paper. An out-and-back to one of the craziest twister-sections ever! It finishes with a bang and never gives up throughout. Even though it's doesn't do anything new element-wise, you'll want to stay on and ride again and again.

Score: ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➈ ➉ 8.06/10 

Placement: 95th percentile among all coasters. (Ranked in the top 5% of coasters worldwide.) Not as good as Steel Vengeance, better than Colossus.