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Worst Coasters of the 2010s

Matt N

CF Legend
I don't dislike it as much as many of you do, but after riding yesterday in row 2 and giving it a bit of thought, I'm afraid I'm also going to have to say The Smiler from what I've ridden. I think the layout itself is quite good, and I certainly wouldn't say it's terrible, but I'm just unsure whether I actually enjoy it as much as some other rides I've done that were built in the 2010s. I wouldn't say it's as relentlessly rough as some of the older Gerstlauer coasters I've done (aka Speed and Saw), but it definitely has some pronounced jolts in places and has a noticeable tremble to it throughout (for lack of a better term); however, there's definitely some noticeable headbanging during the final 3 inversions, in my opinion.

I don't know whether it's only me that finds this, but I've also started to find the Gerstlauer OTSRs less comfortable as I've grown taller; I find they come down in a very strange position in comparison to the ones from a company like B&M, for example.

I find my opinion of The Smiler so sad, as it is actually quite an important coaster to me; it was the very coaster that brought me into the theme park enthusiast community, and I did formerly rate it much higher (it was once my 2nd favourite at Towers!). I also think that the layout is quite good, although I don't think I enjoy the type of forces provided on it as much as the type of forces provided on Nemesis, for example. Unfortunately, it just doesn't do it for me as much as it used to. Don't get me wrong, I still find it a good coaster, but I don't find it a great one like I used to. I'm not sure whether it's down to the ride itself deteriorating or down to my tastes changing, but that's how it is, unfortunately.

Despite what I said above, however, I still find The Smiler to be a good coaster, and on my overall spectrum, I'd still be willing to give it a 6/10. Unfortunately, my opinion of The Smiler seems to satisfy no one; you guys are probably mystified as to why I've given it that high of a score, whereas my family always try and convince me that it should be in my top 3!
 

Expedition Coaster

Roller Poster
I rode Smiler today (Row 3, far left) and my back killed for the entire day after said ride which dampened my day at Towers unfortunately.

I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm going out of my way to bash the Smiler but that's just what I experienced.
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
Shortest operating life in the industry was Twist Coaster Robin. At only being open for two hours, ride experience doesn’t even matter at that point it’s easily the worst.

Of what I’ve ridden? I hate to hate on B&M for being “boring and mild,” but I have to give this to Valravn. It’s not an offending experience by any means but when you consider that I think this has been the best decade in industry history in terms of coasters I enjoy, Valravn just falls short, which might just be because dive coasters aren’t my cup of tea.
 

astead04

Roller Poster
Judging by reviews, I'd probably nominate Green Lantern: First Flight at SFMM too; that thing was not exactly loved!
I second this. The only coaster from this decade to actually appear in a lot of 'Top 10 Worst Roller Coasters' lists I've seen.
 

Alex B

Mega Poster
It is surprisingly hard to find a REALLY bad significant coaster from this decade... good sign I guess ;)

I would nominate Impulse at Knoebels. Despite having lap-bar trains, I did not find this an improvement on the more basic Gerstlauer Eurofighters. In fact, in some ways, it’s worse... The whole ride has a nasty vibration, which manages to be even more grating than the rough “shuffle/bump” that some of the Gersts have going on. Plus, my memory is you literally crawl your way through all the elements; admittedly you don’t go that fast through some of them on the Gersts, but this felt particularly awkward and dull. I also remember bashing my elbow or hip-bone or something on a part of the train, which may have just been an unfortunate incident, but yeah, my sole ride on this was surprisingly crap.

The lap-bars are still beneficial, as at least your shoulders aren’t being pinned down the whole ride. That’s about the only positive I can think of. Although there are definitely worse coasters out there, in the 2010s this one stood out for me.

The Smiler is obviously good a shout for this topic too as others have said, but at least it was ambitious...
I rlly thought impulse was overhyped and kinda dumb and forceless with a little rattle
 

Alex B

Mega Poster
I've heard Thunderbolt at Luna Park rides like a lightly pushed wheelchair going down a poorly designed spiral staircase. But I think it's the only example of a coaster designed and built in the 2010s that has an actually bad reputation.

The "designed" bit is important too, I think, otherwise you could feasibly include some of the Volare clones, which debuted in 2002 and haven't been changed enough since. I haven't ridden a Volare myself, but from what I've heard it's like being locked in a sunbed placed inside an oversized tumble dryer.

Coincidentally, both of those disreputable coasters have a manufacturer in common. I guess Zamperla's coaster division hasn't quite figured out design and manufacturing yet.
Oh thunderbolt is complete ass ??
 
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