One of the highlights of the annual IAAPA Expo in Orlando is its opportunity to walk around and get an up-close look at several of the new roller coaster trains that will be debuting at theme parks in the next year.
But which one is the best one? Check the photos below or watch my video of the coaster trains on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. Then vote for your favorite at the bottom of the post.
When voting, please focus on the train and don't just pick what you think will be the best coaster next year. When deciding your vote, please consider these factors, as best as you can determine them from the photos:
Follow the links for our coverage of each coaster's initial announcement.
Arctic Rescue - Intamin and SeaWorld San Diego
Big Bear Mountain - Vekoma and Dollywood
Lightning - Zamperla and Playland Amusement Park at the PNE
Pipeline The Surf Coaster - Bolliger & Mabillard and SeaWorld Orlando
Wild Mouse - Zamperla and Cedar Point
Wildcat's Revenge - Rocky Mountain Construction and Hersheypark
Zambezi Zinger - Great Coasters International and Worlds of Fun
Update: Whoops. I had to reset the poll after adding a missed coaster train. Sorry!
Debate in the comments. Thank you for following our coverage of the 2022 IAAPA Expo from Orlando.
* * *
For more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
And to help support Theme Park Insider while saving money on discounted theme park and attraction tickets, please visit our nationwide Attractions Discounts list.
TweetUgh. I'm having a day. Fixed the poll, but I had to reset the responses to do that. Sorry about that.
I’d have to go with Wildcat, but Pipeline is a close-second.
As for the coaster itself, the only one that’d appeal to me I think would be Big Bear.
Favorite to least favorite...
1. Pipeline: To me, this is the only one that checks all the boxes specified. Yes, we don't know how it will ride, but it's a new design that's aesthetically pleasing and should be quick to load.
2. Zambezi Zinger: Another new train design, I like the look of this one and I expect it will match the comfort of the Millennium Flyers. It does look a bit overbuilt for a family woodie, but I'm sure GCI has bigger things planned for it.
3. Artic Rescue: I've ridden these trains before, and while not the easiest to board, they do check the other three boxes. DarKoaster should be identical aside from the coloration as well.
4. Lightning: Cautiously optimistic these will be good, but Zamperla has generally not produced the best ride vehicles. Still, they look sleek and modern, similar to the trains now produced by Intamin for rides such as VelociCoaster or Pantheon.
5. Whildcat's Revenge: This ranks low less because of the appearance and more because other than the front it's a standard RMC train, so it has the comfort and loading strikes against it. I'm also not the biggest fan of mounting a statue on an otherwise undecorated front as it usually only looks good from one angle.
6. Big Bear Mountain: This is the biggest wildcard of the bunch. The lapbars look a bit weird to me, and if they're similar to the trains Vekoma uses on their junior coasters, the seats are likely a little on the small side. Great aesthetics, though, and a perfect match to the ride.
7. Wild Mouse: Mouse cars are always tight, the same side loading and unloading on four across is never a good idea for efficiency, and the cheese look just isn't appealing to me.
I can already feel my body being violently jostled back and forth / side to so side just looking at those Zamperla Lightning trains.
Bone Shaker for the Mattel Adventure Park would get my vote. Wow that was an amazing coaster vehicle.
the votes pretty much matched my order...great poll and excited about all of the upcoming coasters for 2023
Pipeline is obviously the most innovative design here. I think the longer car length and single-bogey design will create a much smoother ride over previous stand-up designs. I LOVE the zero entry design, and it will be interesting to see how much bounce those seats provide, and how they adjust for differently sized guests (will they bounce as much for shorter/smaller guests as they do for taller/larger ones). Wildcat's Revenge is a standard RMC, while Arctic Rescue is the same as Sea Rescue at SWSA.
I really don't like Big Bear Mountain, and don't understand why Vekoma is still putting in bucket seats, even though modern coaster trains don't ride between the rails. There is no excuse for a custom coaster to not have zero entry trains.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
You didn’t put the best one in the poll, Robert! I’d vote for Wildcat’s Revenge by a lot, but since I can’t I went with Big Bear Mountain. Not super jazzed about the layout or the fit in the park, but those are cool trains.