The Ferrari World theme park opened in Abu Dhabi in 2010, just before the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

It made good sense, from a marketing standpoint. Once a year the popular Ferrari Formula One team would race at the track, and right next door, on Yas Island, was the theme park promoting all things Ferrari, which is one of the world’s great brands — and particularly popular with Emiratis.

(A red Ferrari cap is considered a desirable sporting accessory to wear with a white kandura.)

The park in an impressive sight. To walk inside is to enter an  enormous space, high and airy and nicely cooled even through the harsh UAE summers.

It also is impressive from the air: the enormous Ferrari logo on the sprawling red roof can be seen by passengers on aircraft about to land in Abu Dhabi, or which have just taken off.

But almost from the start, Ferrari World had an indifferent reputation locally.

Some stuff there, yeah … the “world’s biggest indoor theme park” and “the world’s fastest roller-coaster”, but …

But, the main attraction, the Formula Rossa roller coaster, often seemed to be shut down. And some early customers suggested the park was not good about disseminating information on which rides were not in operation — and that the park didn’t have enough rides.

And those notions may have been fair comment, in the first year or so. I didn’t find it to be the case in on a weekday in May in 2015, however.

Nearly five years after the place opened, I went inside for the first time today, along with a young visitor from California.

“Fastest roller coaster” is a major lure, and we checked to make sure it would be in operation — which can be found on the park’s website.

We had a two-for-one coupon that got us inside for 250 dirhams, or about $68.

The place was pleasantly (for those of us inside) not crowded, and we headed directly for the Formula Rossa roller coaster.

The wait for the world’s fastest coaster was less than 10 minutes. This was on a Tuesday early in the afternoon.

The thing is impressive. Riders leave behind whatever they are carrying, and are given goggles to wear. The ride begins indoors but quickly (very quickly) moves outdoors.

The ride goes from 0 to 240 kilometers per hour in less than five seconds. It appears to do so via a launching mechanism not dissimilar from that used on aircraft carriers.

Those not up for that sort of bodily abuse can watch via a porch above the starting line. That was me. And before takeoff, you can watch the ride being loaded (16 people in an elongated notion of a Ferrari F1 car), eight rows, two people per. And once they are in, you walk outside to watch the rest.

The long opening straight is impressive, as is the first climb, to a height of about 155 feet. Then comes the regular banking and diving and climbing.

My visiting consumer? A thumbs-up.

The park has a tamer roller coaster on the other side of the park, on which two cars “race” around the track, with one track often running above or below the other. Another good ride.

Perhaps the most fun was the go-karts. The cars race on a smooth surface and have springy bumpers — and the F1-style, serpentine track has rails that also give upon impact.

The riders seem to do about five laps, lasting about five minutes, and everyone seemed to like it. The wait here was the longest of anything we did all day, and at first we were told to come back at 7 p.m. (it was 3), in a sort of “appointment” style spreading out of riders. But while sitting around having some ice cream, one of the ride operators came out and said “you can go now if you want” and that was that.

The place also has a tracked/darkened ride in which you attempt to race “Nello” to see if you can win back your Ferrari keys — and represents the spin-and-shake school of rides. Not for delicate stomachs.

Another takes you through the making of a Ferrari. Another is a “tea cup” spinning ride, with gigantic black tires (sted cups) and also not for those prone to motion sickness.

Ferrari World has lots of places to eat, more than a few to sit and chill out, and some historic cars you can walk around and a gift shop … and it was fine.

An issue that needs to be resolved is a number of areas where rides are being repaired or changed; the park has quite a bit of dead space in it. And the “Autopia” like ride decorated with reproductions of several Italian cities … had tarps over where the miniature city should have been.

This may be a case of arriving with low expectations and having the park beat those … but, overall, I would recommend it, especially to roller-coaster aficionados.

And especially if you are in Abu Dhabi and want a theme park experience.