Tonnerre 2 Zeus is one of the best wood coasters in all of Europe. Located at Parc
Asterix in France, this ride was originally built by Custom Coasters International,
but it recently underwent a major renovation by Gravity Group that included new elements
and new trains featuring a special backwards row. The latter makes this
a borderline top 10 wood coaster for me and I’ll explain why in this review.
Tonnerre de Zeus opened in 1997 as France’s second wood coaster. This was the fourth and final Custom
Coasters International, or CCI, wood coaster to open in Europe. Zeus immediately became the
signature attraction at Parc Asterix and received rave reviews. In its first 5 years of operation,
this coaster placed in the top two in the annual Mitch Hawker best wood coaster poll.
While the popularity never dwindled with general parkgoers, the ride started to
fall slightly out-of-favor with coaster enthusiasts. Some started to find the
coaster rough and/or sluggish. Most still found the coaster good, just not elite.
That was my experience with Tonnerre de Zeus when I first rode it in 2019. I loved
the first half. The big drops had some shocking ejector airtime. Then the 540
degree helix had excellent sustained laterals. However, the coaster faded towards the end.
There were several bunny hills that looked like they should give airtime,
and I believe they did in the ride’s early years, but they did not for me.
From 2019 to 2022, Gravity Group completed an extensive refurbishment on this coaster.
This was done in three phases. Phases 1 and 2 took place in 2019
and 2020 respectively. This was a big retrack for much of the coaster to improve its smoothness.
Phase 3 was the far bigger change. This occurred in 2022. This included three changes:
new elements, new trains, and a new name. First, a few elements were completely modified.
The big camelback after the first turnaround was transformed into a wave turn. This was a
great change, as the old hill was really drawn out and didn’t have much airtime.
The wave turn is much lower, so it’s faster and offers good negative Gs.
The helix that followed was removed and turned into a single banked hill upwards.
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, the old helix was one of my favorite parts
of the old ride. It had incredible laterals. However, shortening this section allowed the
train to carry more speed through the remainder of the layout, meaning those bunny hills that did
nothing for me in 2019 now delivered. So we lost one great element to make the future ones better.
Then the finale was modified. A tunnel with some fog and lighting effects was added. And the
profiling on the last three hills was adjusted. Second, the coaster got new trains. Originally,
this coaster had two PTC trains. These trains were comprised of 7 cars, and each car had 2 rows of 2.
So the old trains could hold a max of 28 riders. The ride now has two Timberliner
trains from Gravity Group. These have 13 rows of 2, so the trains now hold two less people.
But the coaster no longer has any seatbelts, so the dispatches are a tad faster now.
The best aspect about the new trains was the addition of a backwards row.
The back car on each train is now reversed, providing a radically different experience
than the other rows. And spoiler alert, this is now the best seat on this coaster!
Third, the coaster received a new name. To signify this was a sequel of sorts, the name
was changed to Tonnerre 2 Zeus. 2 is pronounced deux in French, so it’s a clever play on words.
I love how this coaster looks. The first drop is framed nicely with the park’s lagoon.
Then the entry area looks fantastic. You enter this coaster under a giant Zeus statue and this
thing is a work of art. It’s massive in scale. He has these crazy eyes and is getting ready to chuck
a lightning bolt at guests. But most importantly, if you look up as you enter the line, you’ll
notice he is wearing rubber ducky underwear. I absolutely love this park’s weird sense of humor.
Then the station is designed to look like an ancient Greek Temple with these giant
columns. It’s large in scale and gives the coaster an epic feel. This is the station
I think we all envisioned for Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but I digress.
Lastly, the trains look fantastic too. They look sleek and modern. The blue really pops
and I love the detailing. You have thunderbolts on the side and Zeus’s face on the lead car.
While there isn’t much theming along the course outside the tunnels, that’s fine.
Most of this coaster takes place in a backstage area behind a maintenance road.
This secluded setting results in some spectacular and very dark night rides once the sun sets.
This setting makes the coaster a royal pain to photograph though. The best vantage points for
this coaster are from the onsite hotels or from the Aerolaf aerial bar adjacent to the coaster.
I was not able to try these on my recent visit, which is why I don’t have too much footage
to show of the backside of the ride. Tonnerre 2 Zeus is still one of the
most popular rides at Parc Asterix, so it routinely gets waits exceeding an hour.
But there are three ways to beat the crowds. First, head here at opening. As of 2023, many
people now make Toutatis their first stop. So if you head here first, you can get on with a minimal
wait. The downside with this approach is that wood coasters typically need some time to warm up.
Second, head here at the end of the day. The coaster should be running at its best and if
the park is open late enough, you can also get a coveted night ride.
Third, purchase the park’s Filotomatix skip-the-line system.
This is the fastest way to get on the coaster, especially midday. There are several tiers
offering access across multiple rides or you can purchase a single shot for roughly 8 Euros.
When you reach the station, the employees will assign you a row. From what I saw, they will
let you request a row, as they let multiple trains worth of people queue up for each lane.
Compare that to the park’s other coasters where they would only let enough people into
the station to fill the next train. I think the best seats are towards the back with the backwards
row specifically being the best spot to ride. Originally, this seat was an 8 Euro upcharge.
Later, it was changed to a free reservation system on the park’s app.
As of summer 2023, you can queue up for this row normally. It had a longer wait than the
other rows, but it was well-worth it. If you’re in the standby lane, let the operators know
you want the backwards row and they’ll send you there. If you have the Filotomatix, you want to
take the unmarked left lane as you head into the station. The right lane is for all other rows.
Zeus has some of the fastest operations of any wood coaster. The long lines are
solely because of this ride’s popularity. I never saw this crew stack trains once.
They were completing the restraint checks in 20 seconds. That is incredible.
Part of it is the fact that all belongings ride with guests. That includes bags. So much like
a Disney coaster, you place your backpacks and purses at your feet. I was stunned a coaster this
intense did that, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue. Just note the trains can get a bit cramped
for legroom if you have a larger backpack. I find the seats comfortable, but I know
larger guests may find them a bit narrow. The restraints are similar to the other Timberliners.
You just have a lap bar that swivels from the side. It’s bulky, but profiled well.
One small change is that the back two rows have small headrests, but I never ended up using it.
Once checked, you roll out of the station, turn right, and ascend the 10 story tall lift hill.
If you look left, you can see remnants of the old helix. And I like how they have a memorial
of sorts as the old PTC train is sitting on some of the remaining track.
Once at the top, you turn right and head down the ride’s fantastic first drop. If you’re seated
towards the back, you get the strongest airtime on the ride. You get a nice ejector pop. It’s
especially sweet in the backwards row since you’ll find yourself falling backwards afterwards.
Along with the airtime, this drop takes you into this cool looking subterranean tunnel.
The rocks are designed look like this angry face, complete with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth.
You then jump into the first turnaround. The entry offers decent floater airtime up front.
The turn then dips down and up, offering ok laterals along the way.
Then the resultant drop gives weak but somewhat sustained floater airtime in the rear rows. Again,
this drop is particularly good in the backwards row since you get a bit of a freefall effect.
Next comes a wave turn, and this element is spectacular. It’s the most sustained
spot of negative Gs on the ride, as it offers nice sideways floater airtime.
Not only that, but you get some great headchoppers with the supports. I’m used to this element on RMC
hybrids, but it was a unique touch seeing a wave turn on a traditional wood coaster.
And it ended up flowing nicely. And correct me if I’m wrong, I think this is the first opportunity
we’ve had to experience a wave turn in reverse and it’s super disorienting in those rear seats.
This immediately exits into a speed hill. This is fast and
offers a nice pop of floater airtime for all. You then twist upwards and to the right. While
the laterals are nowhere near as strong as the old helix, they’re still solid and sustained.
This leads into a straight and sizable drop. Before the renovation, this had a noticeable kink
that resulted in a sharp pop of ejector airtime. The retrack smoothed the entry into this hill,
so those in back merely get floater airtime now, albeit good floater at least. And as with the
first two drops, it’s even more potent in that backwards row since the drop sneaks up on you.
Next is back-to-back bunny hills. Both give floater pops. The airtime is decent up front,
but weaker towards the back. Then comes another turnaround.
You have a little bunny hop into it giving an ok burst of airtime for all.
The turn feels fast since its tucked among the supports. Then the exit is a little dip downwards
giving some airtime for those in back once again. You then have two more bunny hills.
The first is the one hill on the ride that’s still a dud. It offers no airtime for anyone.
The second is quite interesting though. Those up front get lifted out of their seat over the top.
Then the drop is kinked left, giving everyone a solid and surprise jolt of laterals.
It’s particularly sharp going backwards when you can’t see it. This comes out of nowhere.
You then dip downwards, getting some mild airtime in back, before navigating another low turn.
If you were used to the old Zeus,
it’s very noticeable how much more speed you carry at this point after the refurb.
The exit of this turn dips downwards, giving an ok pop of airtime for those in back.
Then you zoom into the ride’s new tunnel. It’s deafeningly loud.
Timberliners are very loud to begin with and the sound echoes right back at you off the walls.
Then the tunnel is visually cool as you have fog and these glowing lightning effects. They
really accentuate the speed. This compensates for the track not really doing much at this point.
When you exit, you have this off-axis bunny hill over a service road.
This offers weak airtime up front, but it’s much better in back. The airtime is a bit more powerful
and more sustained as you’re pulled downwards. You then twist left into another off-axis bunny
hill. This one offers decent floater airtime for all.
Immediately after, you have another bunny hill that offers a little bit of airtime up front.
Then you have the finale, it’s a 270 degree spiral into the brakes.
It’s a fun visual circling around the queue, but the forces aren’t anything to shout about.
You then hit the brakes and return to the station, ending the nearly 4000
foot or 1219 meter long coaster. I don’t know the exact track length today since
the figure reported is based off the original layout, which has been slightly shortened.
The big renovation definitely improved the ride’s pacing.
This was a big issue in the original form’s later years as the second half felt sluggish.
Outside of one or two hills in the middle, most elements on Zeus deliver.
The ride carries good speed start-to-finish and the coaster was tossing my body about,
particularly in the backwards row when you couldn’t anticipate what would happen next.
Now what about the smoothness? I’ve noticed a lot of riders retrofit with Timberliners
seem to develop a shuffle. Zeus isn’t glossy smooth. The train noticeably
shakes on the turns, particularly as you move further back in the train.
But it wasn’t excessive and the way the trains are padded prevent any discomfort, at least for me.
My wife, who is more sensitive to roughness, had no trouble with Zeus in rows 1 through 12. But
she did find the backwards experience a bit too intense for her tastes with the shaking.
So what would I rate Tonnerre 2 Zeus? I would give this coaster an 8.5 out of 10.
I think rows 1-12 are worthy of an 8, but the backwards row is a 9, so I’ll split the
difference. This is a really good coaster. I like the layout, as it mixes in airtime
and laterals. And because it’s in a backstage area, much of it is a mystery for a first-timer.
Then the recent changes have improved the overall ride experience, particularly in the pacing
department. While there are one or two hills that don’t quite deliver along with some shuffling,
much of the ride is phenomenal and those backwards rides in particular left me breathless.
I think this is probably my second favorite wood coaster in all of
Europe now…if I’m in the backwards row, as it’s just behind Wildfire
at Kolmarden. That is how good the renovation and that backwards row in particular made this ride.
I was interested how this would compare to Leviathan at SeaWorld.
That was a ground-up Gravity Group wood coaster that opened with a backwards row, meaning it was
designed with a backwards seat in mind while Zeus was not. I really liked both rides in reverse,
mainly because of the unpredictable nature. The forces felt similar between them. But I
do give a slight edge to Leviathan since that coaster, at this time at least, is smoother.
So those are my thoughts on Tonnerre 2 Zeus at Parc Asterix. What are your thoughts on this
wood coaster? Do you think the Gravity Group refresh took this ride to a new level? Let me
know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you gave
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more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!