New Balance Fresh Foam X More v5 review

We've extensively tested the New Balance Fresh Foam X More v5 and we think it's:

• Perfect for anyone searching for an ultra-soft yet stable running shoe—there's truly nothing quite like the More v5!
• Ideal for fans of the 1080 v13 who loved its plush feel but craved even more cushioning and stability.
• Great for runners who desire as much foam as possible underfoot, allowing for slow, recovery-paced runs after intense workout sessions.

We've thoroughly tested the New Balance Fresh Foam X More v5 and found that its super-soft midsole significantly lacks energy return, making it less enjoyable for faster paces. We believe there are better choices for those seeking a responsive max-cushioned shoe, such as the ASICS Novablast 4 or the Saucony Triumph 22.

In our lab tests, we also found that the upper is somewhat restrictive, which could be an issue for runners whose feet tend to swell or feel pressure. We don't recommend the More v5 for those individuals. Instead, we suggest considering the ASICS Gel Kayano 31, which provides ample room and also features generous cushioning underfoot.

In this version, "More" could easily refer to "More cushioning", as we measured a substantial 42.1 mm in the heel. This places the shoe among the most cushioned and tallest running shoes we have ever tested in our lab.

The Fresh Foam X midsole perfectly defines "plush" in our dictionary! And those creases—wow!

For perspective, when we tested the previous version of the More, it measured 32.5 mm in height. This nearly 10-mm increase is remarkable within the same model, and makes it an excellent choice for those seeking a maximalist shoe, particularly beneficial for runners with heavier builds.

The forefoot is also impressively tall at 34.3 mm, making this shoe a good choice for forefoot and midfoot strikers who prefer long, slow runs.

New Balance advertises this shoe as having a 4-mm drop, identical to its predecessor, yet our measurements showed a 7.8 mm drop. It seems to us that while we adhered to World Athletics' official measurement guidelines, New Balance likely took their heel measurement slightly closer to the forefoot than we did.

Fresh Foam X remains one of the most plush, pillow-like foams on the market, and New Balance has pushed it even further in this version, achieving one of the lowest durometer scores we've ever recorded in the lab at 8.6 HA.

This feature has significant implications. If you enjoy a cloud-like running experience, the More v5 is an ideal choice, as we have proven and felt an unparalleled level of softness firsthand.

However, this also presents some challenges. Although Fresh Foam X is highly compliant, it is not very resilient because it is primarily made from EVA. This means the bounce back from each step is moderate, requiring more effort to compensate for the softness. Consequently, we believe that this shoe is not suitable for fast paces and we recommend it exclusively for slow or maybe aerobic runs.

We've previously mentioned that Fresh Foam X is crafted from EVA, and the implications of this were evident in our cold-weather challenge. After just 20 minutes in the freezer, the foam hardened by 37.2%, a decidedly poor performance for a shoe priced over £150.

The insole arrived slightly thinner than the usual 3.7 mm we see in the lab, but this isn't a drawback. In fact, it's even a positive feature—it allows for more foam within the same stack height!

The More v5 includes a subtle yet effective rocker in the forefoot coupled with a rounded heel, both essential given the shoe's high stack height and lack of a nylon or carbon plate.

We found that this geometry works well for all types of footstrikes during our test runs. Heel strikers benefit significantly from the forward motion, yet the ride is not weird at all for midfoot and forefoot strikers.

Despite its colossal size, the More v5 did not feel particularly roomy at 98.0 mm in the standard D size that we purchased.

New Balance, however, offers the shoe in some countries in 2E (Wide) and 4E (Extra Wide) sizes, as well as B (standard for women). This impressive range provides options for those with wider feet to find a More v5 that fits them better.

Contrary to its name, the More v5 offers surprisingly little space in the toe cap. Measuring just 75.9 mm here in our lab, we think it's quite pointy and restrictive.

Additionally, the volume of the toebox is not very generous, presenting potential discomfort for those who frequently experience pressure on their toes or runners whose big toe tends to break through uppers. Black toenail alert!

Combining a towering stack with ultra-soft foam might seem like it would lead to instability, yet New Balance achieved quite the opposite—the More v5 is impressively stable for its neutral category!

We will present multiple tests that demonstrate how New Balance has enhanced support. Additionally, we uncovered several small design features, such as substantial midsole sidewalls—the heel construction is particularly noteworthy—and extensive sole flaring at both the heel and forefoot.

The More v4 was already notably wide but lacked sufficient stiffness to enhance stability during runs. With version 5, we see a substantial change—from a 2/5 to a 4/5 in our stability test, primarily due to the thicker midsole.

Of course, this adjustment results in a slight trade-off in comfort, but we believe it's absolutely necessary in this shoe to prevent any side-to-side wobbling!

The same design change is seen with the heel counter, which also increases from 2 to 4 out of 5 in this test. Here, the comfort trade-off is hardly noticeable while running, thanks to the plush foam in the heel.

The More v5 truly lives up to its name as one of the widest shoes we've ever measured in our lab at 124.6 mm, providing an incredibly broad landing platform for enhanced stability. And hey, it performs exceptionally well in this aspect for being a neutral shoe.

However, its size makes it less suitable for speed, and as previously mentioned, it's best reserved for easy efforts, where its comfort truly excels.

The heel of the More v5 is impressively wide at 105.0 mm, aligning with the dimensions typical of stability running shoes, such as the well-known Hoka Gaviota 5. This makes it an excellent option for heel strikers who prefer a centred ride and also seek the comfort of a plush shoe.

We previously discovered that the torsional rigidity of the shoe had doubled. But what about its longitudinal rigidity, which is crucial for daily comfort and casual wearability?

It has nearly doubled as well, rising from 17.7N in the v4 to 30.6N in this fifth edition. This increase correlates well with the added stack height and was somewhat expected. Unless you're specifically seeking maximum cushioning, consider a thinner shoe for versatile, everyday wear.

After its poor performance in cold conditions, we braced for another disappointing result in our second freezer test.

However, this time it wasn’t as bad! The shoe became only 25.5% stiffer, which is a decent outcome. Nevertheless, given that the More v5 is already stiff by default, we don’t think it's the best choice for winter running.

Opening the discussion on weight, at 10.9 oz or 308g, the More v5 is certainly not the lightest shoe. Yet, for its substantial size, we find its weight reasonable. In fact, it's completely normal for a maximalist running shoe with a plush and comfortable upper to weigh around 10 or 11 ounces.

Although we would have preferred the More v5 to be lighter—or at least not heavier than its predecessor—we think it shouldn't be a deal-breaker in this shoe. However, if you're looking for a shoe with a towering stack height and a lightweight design, you can find it in the ASICS Superblast 2—though it comes at a premium price.

The main complaint about the New Balance Fresh Foam X More v4 was its lack of breathability—except for those in cooler climates—as the shoe had poor air circulation. Fortunately, New Balance has addressed this flaw.

We've discovered it has improved so significantly that we awarded it our top score, a perfect 5 out of 5. If only every fix were this effective!

To achieve such excellent ventilation in the toebox, New Balance opted for a straightforward approach—it crafted large, expansive ventilation holes, enabling hot air and moisture to escape quickly from the toebox.

As is our standard procedure with all running shoes, we examined the toebox under a microscope to check out these large ventilation holes.

True to our findings, they are really big and effectively perform their function.

We also discovered that the shoe's upper features a classic dual-layer structure. Additionally, we noted a significant improvement—the ultra-thin fabric below the main mesh. Many other shoes opt for a cheaper, thicker material, which diminishes breathability, but not this one!

The More v4 was already notably wide but lacked sufficient stiffness to enhance stability during runs. With version 5, we see a substantial change—from a 2/5 to a 4/5 in our stability test, primarily due to the thicker midsole.

Of course, this adjustment results in a slight trade-off in comfort, but we believe it's absolutely necessary in this shoe to prevent any side-to-side wobbling!

Initially, we were somewhat concerned about durability due to the large ventilation holes—they didn't seem promising for holding up under our challenge. However, we had yet to put the More v5 to the test with our Dremel.

After conducting the test, we were pleasantly surprised by the favourable results—a solid 3 out of 5! This score was significantly influenced by the positioning of the holes, which are situated a few centimetres away from our standard testing spot that we use to maintain consistency in our evaluations.

While it might seem like mere luck, we're convinced that New Balance strategically avoided placing holes closer to the toe cap, a decision likely aimed at reducing damage in this more vulnerable area of the toebox.

The heel padding typically performs better than the toebox area, yet after conducting our second test, we found that it also scored a 3 out of 5.

While this result is not alarming and sits around the average, we had anticipated a bit more resilience from a daily trainer, especially in this section.

The outsole of the More v5 has been completely redesigned, now showcasing two distinct zones with rubber coverage, and a lot of exposed midsole in areas less susceptible to wear.

This smart design delivers excellent grip. We particularly appreciated that it fully covers the heel and forefoot on the sides, which is crucial for those with slight pronation or supination issues.

We found that New Balance has opted for an average rubber with an 81.0 HC on our durometer, aiming for an optimal balance of traction and durability. Let's see if it holds up!

In our final evaluation in this lab review, we increased the speed of the Dremel to twice its normal setting. The results were great!

While not outstanding, the discovery of a 0.7 mm dent indicates a good level of protection, especially for those who usually experience quicker than average wear on their outsoles.

We measured the thickness of the outsole and discovered a well-balanced 3.2 mm that optimally combines weight and protection.

However, considering the results and the shoe's weight, New Balance might consider reducing the thickness slightly in their next update.

In our view, this approach to reflectivity is brilliantly executed, and other brands should definitely pay attention—just add a large, glowing logo of your brand and watch as the headlights from bikes and cars illuminate it beautifully!

This shoe really improves its predecessor, including the padding of the tongue, which is exceptionally plush with 9.1 mm of foam. That's nearly double than v4!

We also appreciated the lacing system—simple, effective, with punched eyelets and nothing out of the ordinary, plus an extra eyelet for tightening closer to the ankle if needed.

We discovered that the tongue is semi-gusseted, arguably the best design for a daily trainer—it provides excellent lockdown without being overly constrictive or adding significant weight.

In our view, the More design really calls for a nice pull tab, but we found none. While its absence isn't a dealbreaker, adding one would have enhanced the v5 with a nice touch.

We had no issues removing the insole, nor did we experience any problems replacing it with a third-party footbed. And yes, New Balance has reshaped cushioning with Fresh Foam X, transforming it into a pillow!