Fury 325 at Carowinds is the world’s best giga coaster.
As the name suggests, this coaster stands 325 feet or 99 meters tall, and it is the
tallest coaster in the world with a lift hill.
This Bolliger and Mabillard creation has received near unanimous praise ever since it opened
and add me to that bandwagon.
Fury 325 has claimed the top spot in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards for the best
steel coaster for the past 6 years, but is it truly the world’s best roller coaster?
Find out in this review.
Carowinds is one of the southeast’s largest amusement parks.
But for the longest time, this park was more about quantity than quality.
Through 2005, the park was owned by Taft Broadcasting, KECO, and Paramount.
At this point, the park featured 12 different roller coasters, but there was only one true
standout in Afterburn, a Bolliger & Mabillard invert.
In 2006, Cedar Fair purchased all the Paramount Parks and began investing heavily in them.
In 2010, the park received a new headlining coaster in Intimidator, a large B&M hyper
coaster running along the parking lot.
The coaster had plenty of floater airtime.
And it was added after the positive reception of Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland in 2008
and Diamondback at Kings Island in 2009.
But Carowinds wasn’t done.
In 2013, Cedar Fair announced a $50 expansion for Carowinds with the most notable addition
being a $30 million roller coaster that would be the park’s new signature attraction.
And it was later revealed it would be the second B&M giga coaster.
Cedar Fair had experience building giga coasters.
Cedar Point received Millennium Force in 2000, which was a well-received Intamin creation
that has been voted as the world’s best roller coaster many times.
Kings Dominion, another Paramount property, added their own Intamin giga coaster in 2010
in Intimidator 305.
While that coaster was beloved by enthusiasts, it’s greyout-inducing forces and breakneck
intensity were not as loved by the average park guest.
So it’s no surprise Cedar Fair went to B&M for their next giga coaster.
Added to Canada’s Wonderland in 2012, Leviathan would stand 306 feet or 93 meters tall and
feature 5486 feet or 1672 meters of track.
Now when this coaster was originally announced, enthusiasts were perplexed.
They were confused why a park that already had a B&M hyper in Behemoth would add a B&M
giga.
But once Leviathan opened, enthusiasts quieted down.
Leviathan had airtime hills like Behemoth, but not many.
Leviathan placed a greater emphasis on speed, which allowed the two coasters to offer complimentary
rides.
So when Cedar Fair announced Fury 325 for Carowinds, enthusiasts were less critical
of a park with a B&M hyper receiving a B&M giga.
Instead, they were excited to see a taller, faster, and longer Leviathan.
Fury 325 opened in 2015 and it has forever changed the history of Carowinds.
This attraction dominates the park and specifically, the entry experience.
It’s impossible to miss this coaster’s colossal hill in the distance, but more strikingly,
the entry pathways pass under this coaster’s high-speed sections.
I love how Carowinds incorporated this coaster into eh]]the entry experience.
Seeing Fury whizzing by at blistering speeds really gets you hyped for your day.
Not only does this coaster have great placement, but it looks fantastic too.
The teal and green track really pops against the sky.
And the attraction’s plaza is one of the most iconic.
Seeing that towering lift hill in the distance can turn your legs into jelly and you also
have the ride’s massive sign.
The bee-themed logo is one of the best on any coaster.
I love how it pays homage to the Charlotte Hornets, the city’s basketball team.
Fury 325 is a capacity monster.
The coaster almost always runs 3 trains and usually has fast dispatches.
The crew working Fury checks restraints quickly.
And this is one of those rides with mandatory lockers for bags and anything that can’t
be stowed in a pocket.
While it stinks having to pay for a locker, it really helps the crew pump out trains at
a steady pace.
These operations keep Fury’s line manageable most days even though it’s easily the park’s
most popular attraction.
Although if you want to maximize your rides, Fast Lane is the way to go since it dumps
you right in the station.
In its early years, Fury 325 had strict assigned seating.
You couldn’t always request a row.
In recent seasons, guests have been able to select their row.
And I strongly recommend both the front and back on this coaster.
The front has the superior sense of speed, but that drop is extra spectacular in the
back row.
I split my rides evenly between the two seats.
Fury 325 has the familiar B&M clamshells and I love these restraints.
They are very comfortable.
Fury does have a seatbelt like the other B&M mega coasters in the Cedar Fair chain and
while they do slow down dispatches, they do not impact the ride experience for me.
Once dispatched you head up the world’s tallest lift hill.
The only coaster’s taller are all launch coasters.
And despite Fury’s size, you reach the top fairly quickly.
Anticipation builds as you can see Charlotte’s skyline on the left and Carowinds on the right.
Plus, you have some speakers on your side further hyping the experience.
Once at the top you crest the 320 foot or 98 meter tall drop.
And this is easily one of the best drops in the world.
Those up front get some lift, but those in the back get several seconds of glorious sustained
floater airtime.
This 81 degree drop is profiled perfectly to keep riders out of their seat as long as
possible.
The drop always leaves me speechless and it’s my favorite part of the ride.
At the bottom, you reach the ride’s max speed of 95 mph or 153 kph, and then you rip
through a turnaround.
The entrance into this element gives a quick pop of airtime up front.
The abrupt turn to the right gives some laterals.
And then the descent gives a quick pop of airtime in the back.
Fury then navigates a speed section and the ride feels like it will rip your face off.
You fly over back-to-back banked speed hills.
These elements are some of the most violent B&M has ever designed.
They deliver good pops of air and very strong laterals simultaneously because of how you
snap into them.
It really feels like you’ll be laterally ejected from the train from their power.
Fury then treats riders to the best turnaround B&M has ever designed.
Nicknamed the treble clef for its appearance, this element turns 180 degrees on the ascent,
but instead of unbanking at the top, riders crest the element still on their side.
This gives everyone some strong and sustained floater airtime while on their side.
And you don’t unbank until you’re halfway down the drop or as the park calls it, the
hive dive.
This drop dips beneath the entry pathway and at night, it’s adorned with hypnotic green
lights for an added sense of speed.
This is followed by the one element on Fury that I think misses the mark.
You have this elongated hill that’s too stretched out for its own good.
It doesn’t offer any airtime or laterals.
Since the rest of Fury is near perfection, this element stands out.
But it’s thankfully over fast.
You then glide over a camelback.
This hill does have a trim.
It typically hits unless it’s a cold day at the start or end of the season, but I don’t
mind this brake since the resulting airtime is still exceptional.
Everyone gets some very strong and sustained fl-jector airtime.
Fury then winds around a giant helix.
I know this is an element that gets some flack, but I like it.
You get a few seconds to appreciate this coaster’s speed and there is a particularly terrifying
headchopper with a support halfway through it.
Fury then treats riders to two final bunny hills.
The first crosses over Fury’s drop and the other passes under it.
But both deliver excellent sustained fl-jector airtime like the prior camelback.
Fury then pops into a high brake run, giving riders towards the front one last pop of airtime,
before you decelerate.
This ends the 6602 foot or 2012 meter long coaster.
In terms of pacing, Fury 325 is top notch.
The barrage of exciting elements combined with the insane speed is exhilarating.
The only bad spot is that one elongated hill on the return run.
Then in terms of smoothness, Fury excels.
Despite this coaster’s speed and power, it is super reridable.
Some of B&M’s coasters have developed a rattle over the years, but Fury is very smooth.
The ride has massive supports that go deep into the ground.
I only feel some light shuffling in on one or two pullouts in the back, which is a very
minor issue.
It doesn’t cause any discomfort for me.
So what would I rate Fury 325?
This is B&M’s masterpiece and I am giving this coaster a perfect 10 out of 10.
I absolutely love this giga coaster.
It has the perfect mix of large and small elements.
The first drop is one of the best anywhere and the treble clef turnaround is super unique.
Then you have several low elements.
The ones in the first half offer a wild lateral and airtime combination while the ones at
the end offer some very sustained airtime.
This coaster has the perfect amount of intensity to appeal to a broad audience and I always
want to get back in line.
This is one of the most reridable coasters in the world between its comfort and highly
enjoyable experience.
While there are a few coasters I place ahead of it, this is definitely a coaster that’s
a worthy contender as the world’s best.
This is easily the best giga coaster.
Fury 325 has superior elements to Millennium Force, superior length to both Orion and Leviathan,
and way more airtime than Intimidator 305.
Fury 325 is my type of ride.
So those are my thoughts on Fury 325, the amazing giga coaster at Carowinds.
What are your thoughts on this legendary coaster?
Have you ridden Fury?
How do you think it compares to the other gigas?
I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.
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