Last updated: 20-Aug-18
Saucony Xodus 6.0 GTX has been designed “to tackle the toughest of terrain while providing midfoot support and proven traction on the trails”. The shoes have a Gore-Texliner and water-resistant outer fabric for use in winter.
I run in the Scottish hills so I need shoes that can cope with wet, mud and tough terrain.
Features
- Vibram outsole with deep and aggressive lugs
- EBO (External Bedrock Outsole) plate in the forefoot to protect the forefoot from sharp objects
- For neutral pronation
- Offset: 4mm
- Weight: 301 g
- RRP £125
PROS: What’s good about Saucony Xodus 6.0 GTX shoes
The length of shoe is good and the UK8.5 women’s fit me well. The width is what I would call medium/standard. Inner heel and footbed comfort is also lovely.
The shoes have a stiff sole, which aids stability on wet and muddy hills and the lugs offer really good traction.
The lugs actually take the form of several patterns, with a more compressed, less spaced pattern out on the inner part of the base of the shoe and more spaced out around the edge of the sole. This is what provides such good traction.
Mud and dirt is released from between and around the lugs quite well so the sole does not become too clogged up.
For a trail shoe there is a fair amount of cushioning comfort. You’ll either welcome this or not, but I liked it. It means that when you are running on harder packed terrain you do not feel too many jolts.
The solid EBO front of the sole is really good. It’s difficult to know if I would have felt sharp objects in other shoes but the Xodus shoes did work really well.
The fabric and Gore-Tex liner does keep out the wet but, well, see my points below. The upper also feel robust and durable and I imagine it will be longer lasting than many other trainers that I own.
The bumpy style of laces meant they stayed tied once you tie them.
The design and colour of the shoes make them really attractive, in my opinion.
Cons: What’s not so good about Saucony Xodus 6.0 GTX shoes
If you like a more natural feeling shoe these are not for you. The stiff and solid sole offers little in the way of ground-feel. A stiffer sole does have advantages in the wet and mud though (see above).
The shoes do feel quite heavy. I prefer something a bit lighter weight.
The water-repellent fabric and Gore-Tex liner is all very well but water gets in over the top of the shoe cuff. It’s obvious that in rain and wet, boggy ground the water will flood the shoe from the top.
What this means is that the foot gets wet and, unlike other shoes, the water is not able to easily escape the shoe. I think that they work well in light rain or damp ground but the Scottish hills and weather proved too much for the waterproofing system.
I found the heel slipped a little while running. I do have a narrow foot so perhaps these are not the best for a narrow foot.
Conclusion
The shoes feel solid, stable and they offer a no-nonsense approach to the wet and mud of Scottish hills and trails. I found the shoes a little heavy and I am not a fan of the Gore-Tex liner because water and rain gets in from above and renders it a bit useless. The fit and style of Saucony is a bit of a Marmite thing: You either love it or hate it. The shoes look great.
| Score | |
| Design | 8/10 |
| Features | 8/10 |
| Performance | 7/10 |
| Value | 7/10 |
| Total | 7.5/10 |
Other running shoes you may want to consider:
Mammut MTR 71 TRAIL LOW GTX
Brooks Cascadia 11 GTX
Inov-8 TRAIL TALON 275 GTX
Salomon XA PRO 3D GTX
About the writer: Fiona is a keen runner, preferring off-road and hilly to flat and road. She lives in Scotland where the weather is fickle so needs to be prepared for all conditions.
All images www.saucony.com.
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