adidas Samba XLG review

We think that the adidas Samba XLG might resonate with someone who:

• wants a puffier and chunkier take on the acclaimed adidas Samba
• could use more impact protection for all-day wear
• prefers stable and structured kicks with solid durability
• needs stellar grip on wet city streets

If you're wondering if there is an alternative kick with similar skater vibes but lighter weight and a more pliable build, the adidas Campus 00S fits the bill.

If you are after a functional skateboarding shoe, go for the adidas Busenitz, or options from other brands.

If you want a Samba with a platform effect minus the bolder skate-shoe aesthetics, check out the adidas Sambae instead.

A scaled-up version of the basic Samba, the Samba XLG offers nearly twice the shock absorption (85 SA) as the original (47 SA).

So if you ever felt like there wasn't enough shoe in the popular terrace sneaker to keep it comfortable for all-day wear, the XLG offers way more substance underfoot by packing actual cushioning foam instead of plain rubber.

A thick slab of EVA foam helps this Samba kick absorb more impact, but it doesn't generate enough rebound to make the ride feel particularly springy.

Still, its moderate energy return of 46.6% provides some basic responsiveness to prevent the ride from feeling completely dead.

Its beefed-up tooling and thicker midsole are the most standout features of the Samba XLG.

After slicing the shoe in half, we measured its stack at 27.1 mm in the heel. It is indeed 7.8 mm taller than the original Samba (19.3 mm) but not as platformy as it may appear compared to an average sneaker.

It would need at least 35 mm of heel stack height to be categorized as a full-on platform sneaker.

Measuring the XLG's forefoot stack at 19.1 mm, we also found it significantly taller than the Samba's (11.9 mm). There is definitely more care for your toe joints and the ball of the foot in the XLG!

The heel-to-toe drop of both Samba shoes hovers around the standard range of 8-10 mm.

At precisely 8.0 mm, the XLG accommodates a common heel-striking pattern, minimizing stress on the Achilles and calves for long hours of walking and standing.

But even though the Samba XLG feels much better cushioned than the regular Samba, it's not exactly plush.

In fact, the EVA foam in it is quite hard, with a high durometer reading of 50.0 AC. And as our freezer test showed, it also gets 14% firmer in chilly conditions.

Appearing a bit more wide-set from the outside, the Samba XLG also proved slightly roomier inside.

Measuring the widest point of its one-to-one gel cast with a caliper, we recorded a solid width of 93.9 mm. This is indeed slightly wider than the close-fitting Samba.

However, toebox shape remains equally snug in the XLG, measuring a moderate 67.1 mm at the big toe. While it's not critically tapered, it limits the toe splay a bit.

Thankfully, the shoe's vertical space turned out to be right on par with the average.

With a standard toebox height of 27.3 mm, it minimizes the risk of toe and toenail pressure.

Featuring a basic rubber blend, the Samba XLG surprised us with traction far beyond basic!

The shoe returned an impressive friction coefficient of 0.90 on wet concrete, making it exceptionally reliable across various urban conditions.

The XLG's outsole design is identical to that of the original Samba. It is also the same retro tread pattern with a pivot point as on the original indoor soccer (football) Samba.

With its thicker, exaggerated midsole, the Samba XLG inevitably exhibits more stiffness than its minimalist counterpart. But that's also where the shoe's more skateboarding-inspired design steps in.

Measuring the force required to bend the XLG by 30 degrees, we got a rather high reading of 23.3N. That's 88% more than it takes to bend the regular Samba and also notably more rigid than the average sneaker.

However, this structured build also translates into a more supportive platform, including better stability and protection for occasionally messing around on a board.

In addition to having more visual weight, the XLG version also showed a pretty high number on the scale.

At 15.7 oz (445g) in a men's US size 9, it sits on the heavier side of lifestyle sneakers. And sure enough, it is 3.6 oz heavier than the Samba (12.1 oz/342g)!

Its firm midsole, tall rubber cupsole, and thicker leather upper all help toughen up the Samba XLG's construction. As a result, the shoe offers plenty of inherent stability and prevents the foot from wobbling or rolling sideways uncontrollably.

Our torsional rigidity test clearly reflects the shoe's structured build in a high reading of 20.4 Nm.

That's how much torque it takes to twist the Samba XLG by 10 degrees in both directions, making it just as rigid as the Air Jordan 4 RM.

The kick's unyielding platform is complemented by a moderately stiff heel counter, which earned a stiffness score of 3 out of 5 in our manual test.

Its structure and abundant padding help lock the heel in place and prevent any undesirable shifting or wobbling in the rearfoot.

The XLG's enlarged sole tooling resulted in a substantially wider forefoot width of 111.6 mm, 9.2 mm wider than the standard Samba.

The same is true for the XLG's heel, where our caliper measured an additional 8.3 mm of width. However, at 83.7 mm, it is now simply on par with the average sneaker.

The Samba XLG's leather and suede components may vary by colorway, but in most versions, you get leather as the main upper material and suede on the eyestay and the T-toe.

Applying fire to the back of the shoe's upper, we can see the white leather charring while the green patches begin to melt. This implies real leather in the former and synthetic coating in the latter.

As for the shoe's midfoot area, we found that the green stripes are also covered in synthetic coating while the grey eyestay is made of real suede.

Aside from giving the Samba XLG its retro athletic heritage, the shoe's suede T-toe also provides an additional layer of protection over the toebox.

Putting it through its paces in our Dremel test confirmed this overlay's hard-wearing nature. It earned the kick a high toebox durability score of 4 out of 5.

Sadly, the material inside the shoe's collar couldn't even last through the 4 seconds of our Dremel test without developing serious damage. That put our heel padding durability score as low as 2 out of 5.

The rubber outsole, on the other hand, exhibited decent wear resistance with a moderate dent of 1.3 mm. Not so bad for a typical lifestyle sneaker.

Especially considering the Samba XLG's solid 4.6 mm outsole thickness. That's a lot of rubber to go through!

A thin 2.9 mm insole doesn't add much underfoot plushness on top of the shoe's firm midsole. But it's a welcome touch of extra foam.

But because the insole is removable, you can opt for a custom insert if you feel like you could use more cushioning or arch support.

Our dark-room test showed no reflective elements on the Samba XLG.

A remarkably thick tongue gives the Samba XLG a puffy skate aesthetic, steering it away from the classic football silhouette.

While it's not as mind-blowingly padded as the Campus 00S (23.0 mm), it showed a pretty substantial, above-average caliper reading of 15.6 mm. 

The tongue is not gusseted, but its massive dimensions prevent it from shifting and sliding uncontrollably.

There is no heel tab, but you can hold on to the shoe's slightly extended collar when putting it on.

The Samba XLG is priced slightly above the regular Samba, which is reasonable considering its extra materials.