Saucony Hurricane 25 Performance Review

Saucony brought back the legendary Hurricane model last year to much acclaim, including from the WearTesters team, who declared it “a polarizing high cushion stability shoe that can absorb hundreds of miles.”

So it’s good to see Saucony succeeded with this revival and will debut the 25th iteration of the Hurricane later this year as the company remains ahead of the pack with its stability shoe offerings.

And that success shouldn’t be a surprise given that Saucony is experiencing not only critical success in recent years but also a shocking nearly 30% revenue growth this year. It’s a good reminder that Saucony, much like Brooks, doesn’t need hypebeasts or trends to continue growing its footprint (pun intended) with everyday customers.

But is the Saucony Hurricane 25 a truly worthy sequel? Let’s find out.

What is the Saucony Hurricane 25?

According to the tech sheet from Saucony, this is its “…most premium, maximum cushioning shoe. Built with innovative technology, the Hurricane 25 is designed to provide ultimate comfort and support.”

The company also cited two key changes, including “redesigned geometry to enhance

CenterPath Technology and provide even more protection” and a “[r]edesigned XT-900 carbon rubber outsole for added flexibility and unmatched durability and protection.” [Editor’s Note: That’s a lot of protection…]

So, we have some flowery marketing language with some facts to back it up. Still, using “innovative” and “ultimate” as descriptors for a daily training shoe focused on stability and comfort is a bit of a stretch.

Cushion

Arune: I loved the Hurricane 24 so much that Drew continues to ridicule me to this day. Even without this admirable commitment to the bit from my boss, I would say I probably went a bit overboard based on first impressions. I, like Drew, ended up giving the shoe to a friend who would find its ride more suitable than it ended up being for me.

But even with that caveat, I was surprised at how different the midsole felt this year – firmer and more stable than the nearly overwhelmingly bouncy midsole from last year’s model. I’m not sure how many others will feel that kind of a difference, but it was very noticeable.

However..that turns out to be a good thing! Over the last year, I’ve discovered I enjoy a slightly firmer midsole as super bouncy cushioning doesn’t suit my gait and results in recurrent pains, mainly in my knees and lower back. Luckily, the Saucony Hurricane 25’s midsole combination of PWRRUN and PWRRUN PB is exactly right for me.

And this turned around to be a shoe I enjoyed for consistent easy day runs, with the rocker keeping me moving somewhat gracefully. It’s not a shoe I’d use for walking since once it has you on the move, it wants you to stay on the move.

How about you, Drew?

Drew: The Saucony Hurricane 25, like the Hurricane 24, is comfortable underfoot. The impact protection is once again top tier thanks in large part, as Arune mentioned, to the combo of  PWRRUN and PWRRUN PB.

Interestingly, while I didn’t love running in the Hurricane 24 and preferred it as a walking shoe, I think the Hurricane 25 is more runnable. Walking in the Hurricane 25 made me feel like there was an excess of plush cushion at the heel so that my ankles were doing more work than I want for an all-day walking shoe.

On the run, that heel cushion shined as every heel strike felt plush and protected. I also felt like the stability aspect was toned down and didn’t force my foot to do things it didn’t like (as I felt in the Hurricane 24). The Saucony Hurricane 25 feels like a well-cushioned, daily running shoe with a touch of stability to prevent too much side-to-side motion.

That same plushness makes picking up speed feel sluggish and runs counter to the ethos of the Hurricane 25. The Hurricane 25 just wants to chug along at a medium to slow-ish pace for a bunch of miles. The midsole shines in that narrow use case and executes it extremely well.

Support

Arune: This is looking like it’ll be the year of testing a whole lot more stability shoes than I’ve ever expected, and I’m not sure if anyone makes them more fun than Saucony (especially the Guide 18).

That trend continued for me with the Hurricane 25, as the CenterPath Technology remains absolutely unrivaled in keeping me from needlessly overpronating my feet. It’s a problem I’ve mentioned before that leads to me re-soling my boots more than I should have to, and I’m learning to appreciate shoes that help retrain the way I move.

However, this is not a shoe I’d call supportive of wide feet. It’s a bit of a pain to just get my foot into the shoe; and while I have full toe splay, I can feel myself pushing against the upper of the shoe. I feel like a wide version might be too much, but the Hurricane 24 never presented this kind of challenge for me.

Drew: The CenterPath Technology that was in the Hurricane 24 is toned down for the Hurricane 25 and isn’t quite as forceful in moving my foot. It’s now a subtler motion that better supports the lateral edge to big toe motion where I’m at my most efficient.

So yes, I can feel it working, but it’s not working so hard that my foot is going places it doesn’t want to be. This version of stability is much more accessible and will appeal to a broader set of runners than last year’s version.

Traction

Arune: I’ll never quite have the variety of weather that truly makes for a full range of traction testing, but you can’t beat this Los Angeles sunshine.

There was lots of hot pavement and plenty of gravel paths but no issues with the road after 30 miles in these.

Drew: The Saucony Hurricane 25 features ample rubber in the forefoot and heel in a traditional barred pattern. It gripped well when transitioning from dry, to wet, and back again. This outsole will handle most running conditions and, more importantly, will be durable enough to handle hundreds of miles.

Upper

Arune: As I mentioned earlier, the upper here is very snug; and that’s after cursing a bit to get my slightly wide Hobbit feet into the Saucony Hurricane 25.

But in addition to that, I’ve been greeted by one of my old nemeses: short laces. Luckily, Saucony has always seemed to choose laces that stay tied. But there just wasn’t a lot to work with here, perhaps due to my feet pushing the literal boundaries of these shoes.

That all said, the engineered mesh upper is very comfortable and proved quite breathable during a recent heatwave so I’ve got no performance complaints. Plus it’s vegan and contains recyclable materials – something that’s important to many of our readers.

If you care deeply about the aesthetics of your shoe and standing out from the crowd, I don’t know that the Hurricane 25 – or any Saucony shoe – will meet your needs. This is a shoe built to do the job of running, and it does it quite well. So you’ll get all the colors that match your favorite running gear, but it won’t look much different than your average Brooks or Asics shoe. Your mileage may vary there – and, yeah, pun was intended just for YOU, Drew.

Drew: Apparently Arune woke up this morning and chose the pun option from his wheel o’ themes. It could be worse, he could have gone with The Fast and the Furious (again) or Lord of the Rings for the 60th time.

My size 12 didn’t have the lace length issues that Arune’s pair did as they felt standard. So that’s something that will change depending on shoe size purchased. And yes, the upper is boring and very workmanlike. This is a running shoe that isn’t trying to be cool – just a solid performer. The colorway is solid, but take away the Saucony logo and this design could belong to any of a number of companies.

Upper-wise, the engineered mesh is completely serviceable and does a solid job while comfort around the collar and tongue is also straightforward and effective. It’s a ho-hum upper that does exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Though I too noticed the reduced volume in the upper versus the Hurricane 24. But we’ll dig into that in our next section.

Is the Saucony Hurricane 25 wide foot friendly?

Arune: Nope. I barely got my foot in here, and I don’t think I could do more than 10 miles before the foot swelling would make me tear it off my feet.

Drew: The Saucony Hurricane 25 fits tighter throughout than the Hurricane 24 did last year. There’s room for toe splay; but the upper swoops in too much on both the lateral and medial sides, bringing it in contact with feet that are even on the narrow side of normal.

Last year’s Hurricane 24 got a 2E wide version (though only in like one colorway), so I’m hopeful there’s one on the way here too (UPDATE: Saucony released the wide version here). I think it’s a necessity for any wide-footer who wants to use the Hurricane 25 for runs above the hour mark.

Is the Saucony Hurricane 25 worth $170?

Arune: Maybe.

The Saucony Hurricane 25 is priced right next to a lot of other max-cushion shoes. But it’s definitely less versatile than even Saucony’s other max-cushion offerings which can pick up the pace as well as be your easy day shoe (not to mention shoes like the adidas EVO SL, which Drew will tell you is the king of daily trainer versatility).

But if you want a stability shoe for easy runs, this is a really solid option for getting in that daily work and will likely last you a whole lotta miles. But I still see a lot of people opting for the ubiquitous Hoka Bondi 9 (while technically neutral) that we all know so well.

And it’s worth noting that the Hurricane has gone up $10 over the last model. That’s not surprising given the price creep each year and current market conditions, but it’s nevertheless worth mentioning.

Drew: The Saucony Hurricane 25’s $10 increase doesn’t bug me. That, sadly, is just the world we live in right now. The $170 mark is now the de facto center point of max-cushion daily running shoes. Projected durability and the pure quantity of plush cushion earn that price point. But, if you need to maximize your running shoe purchases, there are more versatile options in the $140-$170 range on our best running shoes list that will give you better overall value.

How to use the Saucony Hurricane 25

The Saucony Hurricane 25 is a durability-focused daily trainer with enough support for those who need some motion control and plentiful impact protection. It’s best used for easy or recovery runs.

Saucony Hurricane 25 Summary

Arune: Loads of runners were thrilled that Saucony brought the Hurricane back last year, and the Hurricane 25 delivers another solid stability trainer that I’ve enjoyed.

I don’t see this being a mainstay in my running rotation, but I can see this being a great option for runners looking to take it easy for lots of miles.

Drew: The Saucony Hurricane 25 is targeted at runners who need an everyday cruiser with lots of plush, protective foam underfoot and efficient but almost invisible stability/motion control. If that’s what you’re looking for, the Hurricane 25 is in your sweet spot.

How does the Author Run?

Drew Whitcomb (age 43, 6’6″ 200lbs): Runs daily with a once a week rest day. Runs a lot of miles due to testing needs and a growing affinity for long-distance races. Regularly competes in marathons, half-marathons, 10k, and 5k races.

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 pairs of the Hurricane 25 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.