Is Hollywood Drift the Fast & Furious ride we wanted?
Attractions Magazine has been following Hollywood Drift since long before anyone could climb aboard. I checked on construction in August 2024, when the coaster was beginning to stretch across Universal Studios Hollywood’s hillside. Unlike the relatively flat terrain of Florida’s theme parks, Universal Studios Hollywood is built across dramatically different elevations, and the coaster’s sprawling footprint takes advantage of that unusual setting, which is a cool feature. But with the spinning, backwards riding, and turning upside-down, it’s not too often that you can tell you’re “driving” down a mountain.
Now that I’ve finally ridden what we watched take shape, there’s no question Hollywood Drift is a much more ambitious Fast & Furious attraction than what came before it (see below). The 4,100-foot outdoor coaster reaches 72 mph, includes multiple inversions and uses four-person ride vehicles which rotate 360 degrees. Each vehicle has its own independent audio system with engine and sound effects specific to that car.
Universal says each of the four rotating ride vehicles is independently programmed, meaning the drifting motion can vary depending on which car guests are seated in.
Does it actually feel like drifting?
That 360-degree rotation is supposed to help create the sensation of drifting, and this is where my experience differed from what I expected.
There are moments when the rotation of the car and movement of the coaster seem to work together, but I never really felt like I was drifting in a car through a turn. (Not that I actually ever have I guess.) The sensation is more disorienting than fun for me. Sometimes you’re looking toward where you’re going; other times you’re facing sideways or backward as the coaster continues along the track, and it can vary coaster car to coaster car.
That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. In fact, riders who love spinning, inversions, and not knowing what is coming next may consider that one of Hollywood Drift’s best features. But if you’re expecting the rotating vehicles to make this feel like riding shotgun in one of the franchise’s street races, you will most likely be disappointed.
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