Best Unconventional Coaster

[Hobbes]

Over recent years, several manufacturers have begun creating coasters with highly unconventional layouts, which often have very small footprints. They include:

Intamin Impulse
Intamin ZacSpin
S&S El Loco
S&S Screaming Squirrel
Premier Rides Superman: Ultimate Flight (SFDK)
Maurer Sohne Skyloop

So which of these unconventional coaster types is the best and/or your favorite? Or is there another strange coaster category that I forgot to list?

Personally, I've only ridden Impulses, which I find quite enjoyable. ZacSpins and Superman both look interesting. Not too sure about the S&S ones though, and squirrels look like utter crap.

 

[TilenB]

How about Maurer Söhne Skyloops?

I've only ridden the Screaming Squirrel and it was quite boring and uninteresting... Oh, well, yet to ride anything else.

 

[Hobbes]

Oh, I completely forgot Skyloops. I'll add it into initial post and poll.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

I've only riden an El Loco and it was alright but nothing brilliant.

 

[tribar]

Kind of an odd topic. Impulse because it is the only one of those I've ridden

 

[insanecoastervids]

Out of the two kinds I've ridden Impulse and Zac spin. Impulse is just so much better, in so many different ways.

 

[Hutch]

I've only ridden an Intamin Impulse (Wicked Twister), but the new Premier Rides concept looks the like the most fun.

 

[Ian]

I have a soft spot for El Locos. I like the overbanked turns and the as the cars are static, I can brace myself and know what to expect. They also don't go backwards.

Impulse coasters are good, but yeah, backwards <//3

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Never been on one but based on POV video I would go with TOGO Ultra Twister.

Not sure why they never went for the inversion records with that bad boy. 10 in-line twists on the way out, 10 in-line twists on the way back...backwards!!!!

 

[Pierre]

Never seen that Premier Rides one before - would love a go of one of them!!

They remind me of the Maurer Sohne Skyloops though.

 

[nadroJ]

ZacSpins because Green Lantern at SFMM was fab <3


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[peep]

Togo pipeline coasters are amazing, so are the Intamin zacspins. Insane at Gronaland was epic.

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[CanobieFan]

I've done the Intamin Impulse, Intamin ZacSpin, and the Maurer Sohne Skyloop

I hated the ZacSpin, Green Lantern: First Flight was terrible. I've been on 4 of the MS X-Cars, two being the Sky Loops (X Coaster and Abismo) I really liked them both, a lot oddly... But I hated G-Force and Rockit sucks hardcore. I likr the Impulse coasters too.. but I'd rather ride the Skyloop.

 

[ECG]

Never been on one but based on POV video I would go with TOGO Ultra Twister.

Not sure why they never went for the inversion records with that bad boy. 10 in-line twists on the way out, 10 in-line twists on the way back...backwards!!!!

Worst PoS ever built. Instant migraine. I'd take a Screamin' Squirrel over a TOGO Twister and I hate Screamin' Squirrels.
I've ridden everything listed and I liked Superman: Ultimate Flight at SFDK the most.

 

[rollermonkey]

We're considering Intamin ZacSpins unusual but S&S 4D's aren't?

 

[Hobbes]

^4Ds definitely are unconventional, but I left them out of this grouping. The fact that ZacSpins have no movement laterally made them more similar to things like S:UF, Impulses, and Squirrels, as well as Skyloops that have minimal lateral movement. These types all also have small footprints. Obviously 4Ds are unusual, but I felt they didn't fit into the category quite as well as the other types.

 

[rollermonkey]

But El Locos do...

Been on 4 of the 6 (no Screaming squirrel or S:UF) and I'd say El Loco, despite them not actually being amazing.

 

[gavin]

I haven't tried the Premier "Superman" thing, but from the other five, I'd probably say that it goes either way between Zacspins and Impulse coasters for me, either though neither one is particularly great. Sky Loops are actually pretty decent as well.

El Locos are crap, with Screaming Squirrels being one of the absolute worst coaster types.

If you're going to broaden the topic away from the ride types listed, I'd say Intamin's Aquatrax model (only one ever built) is up there as probably the best unconventional coaster I've been on.

 

[Hyde]

It tough for me to rationalize the term "unconventional", as there are so many variations and alterations of the roller coaster theme in the world. Are we talking how riders sit in the train? How many of a given roller coaster model are currently produced? It is definitely a "moving" target of a term - inverted roller coasters would have been an unconventional roller coaster in 1994, but are now a staple to any good line up.

Of the given list, the Intamin Impulse is my favorite. I would go as far as to say the Impulse is one of the most underrated roller coasters in the industry. Intamin Zacspins are also good fun - Green Lantern at SFMM took me by surprise at the ride's pace and forces, and was a great ride.

 

[Hobbes]

^Yeah, I acknowledge that "unconventional" is a very broad term...and in all honesty may not have been the best name for the title. The list of rides I named seem to go together, at least in my mind, but I didn't really know what else to call them. They all have unconventional layouts, but this is in regard to the overall appearance, rather than single unusual elements or seating/trains. For the most part, they have little to no lateral movement and are relatively compact. Even if my wording wasn't great, I hope that I at least got my point across, and that the grouping makes at least a bit of sense...