Saucony Guide 18 Performance Review

The New Year is almost upon us, and that means it’s time for all the big brands to start dropping their big name daily trainers to take advantage of the January fitness resolution market. We previously discussed the Saucony Ride 18 and how it was another win for Saucony in a string of recent hits. But hot on its heels is the Saucony Guide 18, the company’s everyday stability trainer that offers additional support for runners who overpronate and helps control foot movement – competing with the likes of the Asics Gel-Kayano or the Brooks Adrenaline GTS.

Is the Guide 18 another win for Saucony, or does the brand’s impressive streak end here?

Given that the Saucony Guide 18 is, in many ways, a stability version of the Ride 18, we recommend you check out our review of the latter and then come back here for a slightly different kind of review. We’re going to talk about what’s the same, what’s changed, and our final thoughts on Saucony’s latest release.

What is the Saucony Guide 18?

Saucony describes it as follows:

“The Guide 18 is our core maximum cushioning training shoe. Built for comfort and protection, the Guide 18 is a cushioned everyday trainer that combines our soft and responsive PWRRUN foam with our exclusive CenterPath Technology that keeps the foot centered and supported to deliver a best in class underfoot experience by maintaining a standard centerline, increasing the height of the sidewalls and building it on a rocker shape to ease toe off.”

What’s the Same?

Everything we loved about the Ride 18 is in play here.

The engineered mesh upper and foot shape (last) make this accommodating for my wide-ish feet, with a premium feel all-around.

And the Saucony Guide 18 retains the chameleon-like aesthetic of the Ride. This looks like a running shoe and won’t be mistaken for high fashion, but it also fits in as well at the gym as it does with chores or traveling.

So, you’re not losing out on anything you loved in the Ride.

What’s Changed?

Now this is where it gets fun.

I quite liked the Ride, but let me tell you: I loved the Saucony Guide 18.

Whereas the ride of the, well, Ride was more like the Brooks Ghost or a Hoka Clifton (sans rocker), the Guide feels like an entirely different shoe to me.

This feels closer to a true, max-cushioned shoe underfoot, and it keeps you moving – thanks to the rocker geometry here that really accommodated my running style. I ran a solid 10K in these shoes and was always propelled forward every step of the way. I don’t know a lot about the CenterPath Technology that Saucony promotes here, but the shoe does exactly what Saucony promises: it “centers the foot from lateral crash through toe off to provide a more consistent, balanced and supportive experience.”

I also got a little more ground feel out of these even with the highly cushioned ride. It reminded me a bit of the Asics Gel-Cumulus 23 (an oddly specific comp, I know), and that was a real fun shoe for me when I was starting my running journey.

There’s a joy I felt running in these shoes, and they’re probably my Platonic ideal of a non-plated running shoe: great cushioning, a rocker that keeps you moving, and a premium, durable construction that means you’ll get your 300+ miles out of these without question [Editor’s Note: There’s surely a Plato/”Socratic Questioning” joke here somewhere, but I’m too rusty on my ancient Greeks to properly…execute it… Get it? *ba dum tiss*].

Is the Saucony Guide 18 worth $140?

Yes, without a doubt.

This is a running shoe that not only can do it all but makes it a whole lotta fun to do it in, too.

You may well find you want a shoe with a plate for your marathons, or you may want something cushier – like Saucony’s Hurricane 24 – for recovery days. But I can’t imagine anyone won’t ever find some joy in lacing up the Guide 18 for a nice, easy run.

Saucony Guide 18 Final Verdict

2025 is going to be an exciting year of new running shoe releases, and Saucony has an early contender for “stability shoe of the year” with the Guide 18.

The Saucony Guide 18 is the kind of shoe that will make someone a new fan of running or perhaps rekindle the joy within even the most jaded runners.

Can anyone stop Saucony at this point?

How does the Author Run?

Arune Singh (age 43, 5’11”, 210lbs): Trains daily with functional fitness programming from Deadboys Fitness, founded by Colby “Seth Rollins” Lopez and Josh Gallegos, along with logging 30-40 miles of running per week. He also has a medical history of Sleep Apnea and Myasthenia Gravis, meaning Arune’s focus is on lean muscle mass.

Disclosure

While Saucony did provide a pair of the Saucony Guide 18 to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.