Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 Review – A Fast Tuned All-Rounder

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 stack height and drop remain unchanged from the Speed 4. You still get 36mm in the forefoot and 28mm in the heel for an 8mm drop.

On the scales, the Speed 5 weighs in at 8.7oz or 247g in my US men’s 9.5 test shoe. That’s essentially the same weight as the Endorphin Speed 4.

On price, there’s no change here either. You’ll still pay $170 in the US.

Design

At first glance, it looks like not a great deal has changed between the generations. Sometimes that’s cause for concern but if you liked the Speed 4, you’ll be pleased that Saucony hasn’t messed too much with what is a winning formula.

You’ve still got a PWRRUN PB foam midsole stack with Saucony’s Speedroll rockering. There’s still a winged nylon plate to bring the rigidity and snap. Though the plate has been altered. The inner wing remains but the outer wing has been reduced to help provide better control and improved cornering, along with more torsional flexibility.

Up top, there’s new engineered mesh uppers. These remain nicely lightweight as you’d expect in a shoe that’s really designed to feel fast, comfy and light for up-tempo efforts. There’s much less to the uppers across the top of the toe box than the Speed 4 which had a more enclosed mesh. Saucony says there’s more space in the forefoot as well.

The heel collar package has changed too. The medium padding remains but you’ve gone from a more rounded sculpted shape to a narrower fit with a higher rise.

On the outsole, there’s now more of the XT-900 rubber coverage in the heel on the lateral side to hopefully improve durability in those key impact areas.

The outsole also has a full length groove. Saucony says that’s there to increase flexibility and deliver more natural and smoother transitions. The middle cutout is a little bigger now too.

Fit

In testing I ran US 9.5 which is my regular size for Saucony. It's also the size I've run in past generations of the Speed.

Saucony shoes tend to fit me like a glove and feel incredibly natural on the foot. Like they really belong. The Speed 5 is no different.

I get good clearance across in the end of the toe box and there's a reasonable amount of flex allowing my toes to move freely. The hexagon mesh uppers are nicely breathable, treading the line between hold and flex. There’s a bit more forefoot space than the Speed 4

I get really good lockdown across the top of the mid foot and good lace lock security.

I was a bit worried about the heel collar change to the narrower style. But I had no issues. The heels hold really well and I had no slipping. And I would recommend going true to size.

Performance

In testing, I logged north of 30 miles in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5. I’ve done everything from easy 45 minute recoveries, to a 90-minute mixed pace run, and a 6 mile progression run where I moved up through the gears to around 10km pace, finishing with a slower recovery mile at the end.

I also did a mile with the Speed 4 on one foot and the Speed 5 on the other to gauge how the updates affect the ride.

One thing that stands out from those test miles is how closely the Speed 5 sticks to what it has offered in past generations. It’s a familiar ride that’ll cope with the same kinds of runs. Which – in my book – is pretty much anything.

What you get here is balance and poise in a shoe that feels fast and light but comfortable.

I’m a big fan of daily training shoes with more traditional heel collars rather than the minimal racy setup. We’ve seen those on shoes like the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 and the Mizuno Neo Zen and Vista.

But I like that Saucony has held onto a medium padded heel package that avoids being exposed and overly minimal.

The results is great comfort the moment you lace them on and I could happily run for days in these shoes.

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The PWRRUN PB midsole mixes controlled softness with some spring. But the whole midsole unit still offers a snap, instant feedback and quick return with smooth transitions.

It’s marginally softer under foot than the Speed 4 with a slightly more accommodating edge. But the change is quite subtle and there’s still a happy firmness to them. The Endorphin Speed 5 hasn’t gone full compress and bounce like some fast daily trainers. Again the Mizuno Neo Vista 2 springs to mind. 

Some runners might still want more softness for longer or easier miles but if you like shoes with a snappiness that encourages a quick turnover, these do that nicely. That controlled cushion also helps deliver reliable, generally quite stable landings.

In terms of the runs it’s best suited for, I’d say it’s definitely happier faster rather than slower. It wouldn’t be a marathon race shoe of choice but I think it can 100% handle it and look after you well.