New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 vs v5 Comparison Running Shoe Review

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The main difference between the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 running shoes and the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5 running shoes is the fresh take on the midsole, with the Vongo v6 offering a more close-to-ground feel and dual layered Fresh Foam X.

Non-intrusive support and versatile cushioning make the New Balance Vongo v6 a go-to running shoe for your everyday training and high mileage runs. Right away, you'll notice the super plush feel to provide shock absorption for longer runs, teamed with responsiveness to shift the pace up a gear.

The midsole has been re-imagined, with a softer top layer and firmer bottom layer of Fresh Foam X for data-driven cushioning and out-of-the-box comfort, shedding time off the break-in period.

It's adaptable to meet the needs of both neutral runners and mild overpronators seeking a feel-good ride. For many of us, overpronation occurs as we fatigue during the later stages of our run. The plated design of this running shoe is the answer to help guide you onto your most efficient motion path while offering a natural-feeling fit that won't interrupt your focus.

The Hypoknit upper of the New Balance Vongo v6 features an extended lacing system for a more locked-in feel towards the forefoot compared to the more voluminous fit of the New Balance Vongo v5. Made with REPREVE recycled polyester, the Hypoknit upper is part of New Balance's mission to create more environmentally preferred running shoes.

Underneath the Vongo v6 New Balance have re-configured the outsole, replacing the horizontal flex grooves of the Vongo v5 for vertical flex grooves. The result is an effortless transition that better complements the new and innovative midsole - providing a smooth feel and just-right torsional rigidity for stability you can trust.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh from Sportitude here to go through the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 and compare it to the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5. It is an extremely exciting update.

New Balance have put a lot of time and effort into executing a very runnable, supportive shoe that is going to cater for more runners in comparison to the New Balance Vongo v5.

I'm not discrediting that running shoe, it was serviceable and it certainly catered for a great demographic of runners. However, the net has been thrown even wider with the New Balance Vongo v6 which I'm really excited about.

Like all my running shoe reviews, we're going to go through the three main engineering features; the outsole, the midsole and the upper.

We’ll talk about the subtle differences to give you the information that you require to maybe make this your next shoe purchase. Without further ado, let's get stuck in.

Foot Type

Foot type is a really key topic of discussion. The New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5 was targeting a mild overpronator. If you happen to be a neutral runner, you could probably use the running shoe but you're not really going to enjoy what that midsole was all about.

However, if you're a neutral foot type and you don't really require any arch support but you want something with more structure and integrity through the forefoot, you're going to enjoy the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6.

If you mildly overpronate you will find this plated construction through the midsole is going to give you all the support you require, and also make it a seamless release through to your forefoot. The amount of people that the Vongo v6 running shoes cater for is wider than what we found last year with the Vongo v5.

Upper

Let's start with the upper first. We have an engineered knitted construction up top. To call out a couple of significant feature changes or alterations, the laces in the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 go further down towards the forefoot than what we found with the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5.

In the New Balance Vongo v5 we had a little bit more volume and wriggle room through the front half. The static feel in that running shoe when you slip your foot into it is nice and voluminous through the front half. A lot of people we know enjoyed the Vongo v5 for the freedom that the forefoot offered.

However, with the New Balance Vongo v6 there's significant change within the midsole that required more effort and more overlays through the forefoot, so you get a slightly better lockdown through your toe box. There is wriggle room, but it's not quite as free and voluminous as the New Balance Vongo v5.

The saddle which is the gusseted construction of the tongue fits and feels fantastic. It’s a really thin, breathable tongue which is a little bit thinner than last season's New Balance Vongo v5. I shouldn't use the term really thin because it's not an insanely thin tongue, but it's certainly thinner than what we found in the New Balance Vongo v5.

That gusseted construction gives your arch the saddle support, fit and feel you require to keep you on top of that platform to get all the performance benefits out of the midsole.

From the New Balance Vongo v5 to the New Balance Vongo v6, it's not too dissimilar with the height of the internal heel counter.

Last year we had the Achilles flare. We don't really have an Achilles flare on the New Balance Vongo v6, but we do have a little bit more memory foam on the internal heel collar so it provides more comfort on that first initial step in. It will also restrict the amount of friction that you receive on longer runs with that vertical movement with your foot or heel in the back half of the running shoe.

Having a bit more volume or a bit more padding will restrict the amount of vertical movement or vertical slippage, if you utilise the appropriate amount of structure with your lacing construction.

Outsole

Jumping to the bottom of these running shoe and looking at all things outsole. On the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5 there is more outsole coverage. What New Balance had achieved or tried to achieve with the coverage of the outsole was to provide more protection for the midsole. Also, they provided more rubber through the forefoot to allow there to be almost an engineered element of rocker through the front half.

If you only had the amount of rubber of the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 on the previous model, it would be really flexible and you would probably put a bit too much load and stress through your metatarsal heads or your toes. Therefore, there is more coverage on the New Balance Vongo v5.

Coming to the New Balance Vongo v6, I really like what New Balance have done with their strategic placement of the flex grooves. You have a little bit more exposed Fresh Foam X cushioning system but it is set back a little bit.

The outsole is the closest part of the running shoe to the ground, so you get good coverage through the back half. It’s a little bit light on in my opinion with regards to the lateral component. However, with my personal pair which I'll show you at the end of this review, they've worn beautifully through the whole entire midsole.

I'm only 100km into the life of those running shoes, so I've got no issues regarding the outsole coverage but I thought initially it might be a little bit light on that lateral side through the heel strike zone.

Coming through to the forefoot, there is that element of vertical flexibility in the New Balance Vongo v6 in comparison to that horizontal flexibility which is on offer through New Balance Vongo v5. The reason that has been strategically placed is because of the midsole engineering.

New Balance are trying to provide a really smooth transition from entry midstance and release in this New Balance Vongo v6, and they have executed it with the midsole and the outsole strategic placement.

Midsole

Now to talk about the midsole because this is where most of the change is in this running shoe and it's where we're going to spend most of our time discussing the outcome of performance and overall fit, feel and function.

First things first, we have a change in the heel-to-toe offset with a 6mm drop in the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6. We have 30mm in the heel and 24mm in the forefoot.

Last year we had an 8mm offset. In terms of the heel height, it's 1mm higher while the forefoot height is 1mm lower, with 31mm in the heel and 23mm in the forefoot. New Balance have lowered that heel to toe pitch a little bit closer to the ground.

This is probably a good thing because we have that dual layered Fresh Foam X execution system, with a softer foam underneath the foot. However, that full-length plastic plate is going to provide the rigidity and support to help the midsole hold its shape, structure and longevity of its performance over time.

The New Balance Vongo v5 was certainly a very durable shoe, and I liked it's underfoot experience. However, it took a little bit of time to wear in.

My initial thoughts when I ran in the New Balance Vongo v6, nearly 14 months ago when I got my prototype was that it was cushioned and I didn't mind it. However, it took a few runs to really break in to get that soft fit and feel on my foot.

However, with the New Balance Vongo v6 on the first step in and the first run, it is soft. It feels like it's done 50km worth of running straight away, so there is going to be a very limited amount of wear in for that midsole. However, there might be a subtle adjustment if you're coming from the New Balance Vongo v5 to the New Balance Vongo v6 with the change in density of the foam, the lower heel to toe pitch and also getting used to that plated construction.

While we're talking all things midsole, let's talk about how the support structure works within this running shoe.

With the New Balance Vongo v5, there was that blended construction. New Balance in the execution of this midsole used two different moulds and they welded them together through a heat construction without using glue to make that blended support system work.

You still get that Fresh Foam cushioning feel, but that dynamic support system kicked in when you required it. You noticed it was a supportive shoe, but it wasn't overly intrusive, you just knew that was a slight rising instep.

Looking at the New Balance Vongo v6, there’s two different layers of Fresh Foam X cushioning, and the top layer is significantly softer. The top layer comes in 40 durometer points and the bottom layer is 45 durometer points, so there's a firmer fit underneath the plastic plate.

On the medial side, that plate comes up a little bit more cambered towards the arch. On the lateral side it comes down closer to the ground. It's probably a couple of millimetres off through midfoot and right through to the forefoot. That will provide a softer entry point, because when we run heel, midfoot or forefoot, our first entry point is on that lateral side.

You're going to get exactly what you want out of a mileage shoe, that soft entry point and really compressed feel. Therefore, you can relax into the running shoe through midstance. However, that plated construction kicks in through toe-off to give you that really snappy feel on release.

While the New Balance Vongo v6 is not a running shoe that's going to be designed for someone to go out and smash some threshold runs, it's certainly a mileage shoe. However, if you happen to feel pretty good when you get out the door you can pick up the pace in this running shoe pretty comfortably and still get the support and responsive release through that forefoot with the midsole performance of the plate.

Summary Of The New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6

In summarising, I thought it'd be a great time to bring out my New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 that are 100km old in their lifespan.

To go over the significant changes, obviously the midsole is where most of the change has occurred with a 6mm offset, 30mm in the heel and 24mm in the forefoot. There's two layers of Fresh Foam X cushioning, a soft top layer on top of that plastic plate and firm bottom layer.

This allows for a very durable, consistent ride throughout the entire gait cycle but also allows that plastic plate to offer support on that medial side when required.

For a neutral runner, you can still enjoy the New Balance Vongo v6 and there is no issues with you running in this. However, if you happen to have a tendency to mildly overpronate that support will kick in when required. A lot of runners start off neutral and overpronate when they fatigue, so it will be a great shoe to hold up its shape and support for those people who require that support in the later stages of their longer runs.

The New Balance Vongo v6 has a great execution with the midsole and I love what New Balance have done. The outsole just complements the midsole, so we get a little bit less rubber underneath to try and keep the weight down which is a significant change. If they had a lot of rubber coverage, it would make the running shoe too heavy and too stiff. They had to reduce a little bit of weight and that comes from the outsole strategic placement and obviously the flex grooves through the forefoot.

The other great thing about this running shoe is the upper. I love it when brands are trying to reduce their impact or carbon imprint on the environment or re-purpose recycled materials. That is exactly what New Balance have done. They've partnered with a company called Repreve which is a technology that re-purposes plastics. They clean it, they melt the resin down, they shape it, they structure it and then make the material that you see right in front of us.

It's a knitted construction up top, so by using recycled materials they haven't sacrificed anything in regards to the overall fit, feel and performance. If anything, they probably made it slightly better.

However, I love that New Balance are putting in a lot of effort into re-purposing plastics and making them available to execute their top end premium running shoes, and that's exactly what they've done with the New Balance Vongo v6.

Similar Running Shoes To The New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6

I hope you've enjoyed today's review. I have really enjoyed running in this shoe to be honest. I've collected a lot of notes, thinking about what the New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 does for me, getting some feedback from my other Sportitude team members who have also ran in this shoe and we've workshopped exactly what this running shoe is all about and who it's going to be for.

Similar running shoes to the New Balance Vongo v6 are the Asics Gel Kayano 30 (above) and the Brooks Glycerin GTS franchise. They have that dynamic support without a really intrusive arch structure, very much like the New Balance Vongo v6.

However, the New Balance Vongo v6 is softer than the Asics Gel Kayano 30 and it's certainly softer than the Brooks Glycerin GTS. The New Balance Vongo v6 is on a 6mm heel-to-toe drop with the other two on a 10mm offset, so it's lower and closer to the ground but with a softer, really smooth ride underneath the body.

The Wrap Up

Well done to New Balance. I love what they've done and how they've executed the New Balance Vongo v6. It’s going to be a very exciting shoe and I’m looking forward to fitting more and more of these downstairs over the next 12 months plus.

If you have any questions about this running shoe, any queries or theories about where you've come from the New Balance Vongo v5 to the New Balance Vongo v6, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts.

Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel if you haven’t already done so to stay notified.

To all of you subscribers, thank you so much for being a part of our community. We really enjoy bringing these running shoe reviews to you. We love hearing from you all over the world regarding your running shoe selection and your running shoe progress.

Until next time, stay safe, be kind to one another, happy running and we will see you out on the road. Take care.

FEATURES

New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6

Foot Type: Neutral / Mild Overpronator
Upper: Engineered Knit
Midsole: Fresh Foam X
Heel Height: 30mm
Forefoot Height: 24mm
Offset / Drop: 6mm
Sustainability: Recycled materials
Similar Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 30, Brooks Glycerin GTS 20

Men

Weight: 303g / 10.7oz (US 9.5)
Width: D (standard), 2E (wide)

Women

Weight: 243g / 8.6oz (US 7.5)
Width: B (standard), D (wide)

New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v5

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