I ran 45 miles in the Hoka Mach X2 and it's a brilliant plated trainer with one flaw

On performance alone, the Hoka Mach X2 is one of the best running shoes available, with a bouncy and versatile ride that makes it suitable and enjoyable for any kind of training run, and maybe even racing.

Whether you get to enjoy the shoe for all those runs will depend on whether you get on with its lightweight upper, however. The heel design in particular will rub some runners the wrong way, and make the shoe a less attractive option.

I was lucky to avoid any major issues on this front though, and I do rate the Hoka Mach X2 very highly. In my Hoka Mach X2 review I’ll explain why I think it’s one of the most impressive shoes I’ve tested this year, and how it competes with the most versatile super-trainers available like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4. 

Hoka Mach X2 review: price and availability

The Hoka Mach X2 were first available in September 2024 and cost $190, which is a $10 rise on the price of the original Hoka Mach X. Even compared with other super-trainers the price is high, with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 ($170), Puma Deviate Nitro 3 ($160) and Mizuno Neo Vista ($180) being cheaper alternatives.

Hoka Mach X2 review: design and fit

The Hoka Mach X2 launched with two colors for the women’s shoe and two for the men’s, including the Frost/Citrus shoe I tested. One color is available in both regular and wide versions, and many will appreciate the wide option because it is quite a close-fitting shoe. I was happy in my normal running shoe size, but I do have a narrow foot that gets on well with Hoka’s often quite narrow designs.

Hoka has increased the stack height of the shoe by 5mm compared with the original Mach X, while retaining the same 5mm drop. The men’s shoe is 44m high at the heel and 39mm at the forefoot and the women’s is 42mm at the heel and 37mm at the forefoot.

Despite this the weight of the shoe has gone down, because Hoka has made the upper and outsole more lightweight. The Hoka Mach X2 weighs 9oz in my US 9.5, compared with 9.3oz for the Mach X in the same size.

Upper

The Mach X2 has a lightweight woven upper that doesn’t have much padding on it at all, or an internal heel counter. It feels like a racing shoe upper, and it helps make the shoe lighter and better at faster efforts, but isn’t as comfortable as the more padded upper on the original Mach X.

Whether this upper works for you will be crucial to your enjoyment of the shoe. I like minimal uppers and after heel-locking the Mach X2 I didn’t have any problems with the upper rubbing my heel, so I was happy to use it for all kinds of runs. If you want more padding or support on easy runs, or do find the shoe rubs your heel, then it will mean you might only want to use the Mach X2 for shorter runs, if at all.

Midsole

Like the original Mach X, the Mach X2 has a dual-density midsole with a top layer of bouncy PEBA foam and a bottom layer made from EVA foam to make the shoe more stable. In between these layers of foam is a plastic Pebax plate that has winglets in the forefoot to add more stability there.

Hoka increased the stack height of the Mach X2 by adding in more of the PEBA foam, resulting in the Mach X2 being a lot bouncier and more fun to run in than the Mach X, and it has a faster ride as well. The shoe has a rocker and the geometry reminded me of the Hoka Cielo X1 racing shoe, which is another of my favorite shoes of 2024 so far.

Outsole

To save weight, Hoka has used rubber sparingly on the bottom of the Mach X2, but the key impact areas around the heel and forefoot are covered, and I’ve had no problems with grip or durability so far in my testing. 

There are several cutouts on the bottom of the shoe, again to reduce its weight, but these are mostly placed in the center of the outsole and don’t make the shoe feel unstable.

Hoka Mach X2 review: running performance

The Hoka Mach X2 is everything I wanted the original Mach X to be. It’s a highly versatile shoe that feels great running at easy or fast paces, and the perfect all-rounder for your training runs as well as being a good racing option if you don’t want to splash out on one of the best carbon plate running shoes.

I found the original Mach X to be comfortable, but a shoe I’d reserve mainly for easy and long runs, whereas the Mach X2 has the pace to do fast interval sessions in. I took it to the track for a session running 800m reps and it felt great, with the bouncy PEBA midsole and plate in the shoe giving it a propulsive feel.

I’ve also enjoyed using the Mach X2 for easy runs, when the rocker gives it a smooth ride. It’s pretty stable for such a high-stack shoe as well, and the foam stays bouncy throughout long runs. 

The Mach X2 certainly feels like a slightly tamer and more stable Cielo X1, which is ideal for training as a result — the Cielo X1 is a little too unstable, not to mention expensive, to use regularly for training runs.

Should you buy the Hoka Mach X2?

The Hoka Mach X2 is a terrific running shoe and one that will stay in my own rotation because I don’t have significant problems with the heel design rubbing my achilles. If you don’t have problems with the fit, I’d say it’s certainly a shoe worth checking out, even at its high price, because of the exceptional versatility it offers.

There are great alternatives available for less though, in particular the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, which is equally versatile and has a more accommodating upper. I find the ride of the Mach X2 more bouncy and fun, and it’s more comfortable under the forefoot where it has a higher stack height than the Saucony, but the Speed 4 is a top-class shoe and cheaper.

The Asics Superblast 2 is another excellent all-rounder which has a more comfortable upper than the Mach X2, though it’s a little more expensive than the Hoka. The Mizuno Neo Vista is also a god alternative if you’re looking for a bouncy daily trainer, though it doesn’t feel as fast as the Mach X2 for interval sessions.