Mizuno Neo Vista Review

The Neo Vista was one of the biggest surprises in testing. We expected it to be good… just not this good. It has similar scores to one of our highest-scoring daily trainers, the perennial favorite Endorphin Speed. The main difference is in comfort. This Mizuno provides much better comfort at a wider range of paces but doesn't perform quite as well at the fast end. Regardless, we think it is an excellent training partner.

Performance Comparison

Landing Comfort

Mizuno optimized the Neo Vista for daily training. The cushioning is happiest at easy to threshold paces, where the Enerzy NXT foam pairs excellent compressibility with well above-average resilience. It combines smooth on landings and bouncy on takeoff, making for a very fun ride.

Using World Athletics guidelines to compare stack height measurements, we measured 50 mm (!!) of foam under the heel, with 9 mm of drop. With 50 mm of foam underfoot, the Neo Vista is the highest-stack shoe in our lineup by a large margin. It's noticeable when you run. Landings are plush and well-damped, although the shoe does retain a slight amount of ground feel, which is surprising (and appreciated). The midsole design is interesting, with a large, nearly full-length cutout in the middle of the foot. We think that plays a significant role in the uniquely smooth ride of the shoe.

Compared to the rest of our lineup, the Neo Vista scores nearly as well as shoes designed for maximal cushioning and comfort, like the Skyward X or the Triumph 22. But there is a key difference — those shoes are optimized for comfort at the expense of versatility. The Neo Vista is a highly versatile shoe that stays comfortable at a much wider range of paces.

The plate seems to add some control to landings and contributes to a very smooth transition through the midfoot and off the toe. The shoe compresses well and bounces along nicely at a range of paces. For as tech-heavy as the shoe is, the ride feels surprisingly natural. We think the cushioning will work well for most runners, particularly those who land in front of the heel.

Responsiveness

The Neo Vista isn't the most responsive shoe in our lineup, but it scores above average, which makes it incredibly versatile. It feels great at easy paces and comfortable at moderate efforts. We love it for long runs with uptempo sections or progression runs.

The shoe's ability to remain fun at such a wide range of paces is largely thanks to the foam and specific geometry. The full-length plastic plate provides enough stiffness to help transfer power when running harder, and the Enerzy NXT foam is extremely bouncy. The Smooth Speed Assist rocker geometry is aptly named. It's subtle but works well.

We think the Neo Vista feels similar to the Alphafly 3 in some ways, just optimized for comfort and smoothness rather than all-out speed. There is a similar plush landing at the midfoot and a similar propulsive bounce off the forefoot. The Neo Vista isn't as fast (it's optimized for daily training), but it's a much more comfortable and natural-feeling shoe. This is a good pick for daily training if you're a runner who likes bouncy and propulsive shoes.

Stability

Surprisingly, this shoe has pretty average stability. The high stack and soft upper caused us to expect worse. The shoe's platform is reasonably wide, which helps provide some inherent stability. There's just enough sidewall to prevent slipping, and the plate helps direct and stabilize that thick chunk of foam. Put together, this shoe is actually more stable than some other max-cushioning options. We don't think this shoe is a good option for runners who need or want shoes with more support.

Upper Comfort

The Neo Vista takes home the highest upper score in our lineup. Its sock-like upper looks radical but works well. We didn't experience any slippage or rubbing, and it provided enough support around turns to keep us stable. We did note that putting the shoe on after it had been laced up could be a little tight, which led us to loosen the laces more than we usually would to put a shoe on. That meant we spent a moment longer getting the lacing right again. It's not a finicky process, but it took a second or two longer to get out the door. Overall, we think this is one of the best-executed uppers we've worn. Some runners don't like sock-like uppers, so if that's you, we recommend trying on this shoe before buying.

Weight

The Neo Vista is sub-10 ounces, although just barely. Our US Men's size 10.5 weighed in at 9.98 ounces per shoe. That's pretty middle-of-the-road for a daily trainer and is about average in our lineup. It's no lightweight champ, but it's exceptionally light for having 50 mm of stack height. It weighs the same as many shoes with 10 mm less foam, largely thanks to the midsole cutout and lightweight, breathable upper.

Traction

In our opinion, the biggest flaw of Neo Vista is its traction. It bites well on the road, and the rubber outsole that covers the entire contact surface is great for leaning into turns on wet pavement. But, the shoe doesn't hold particularly well on looser surfaces like dirt roads or gravel paths. When you run over some debris on the pavement, the large cutout in the midsole seems to be almost perfect for fitting a wedged rock.

If you plan to use it on pavement, you should have no concerns. However, if your runs typically have a slightly more mixed surface and you really value traction, this might not be the best option. That said, we use it regularly on dirt roads.

Should You Buy the Mizuno Neo Vista?

If you're after a fun, versatile, and durable shoe, this shoe fits the bill perfectly. It's not the cheapest shoe and sells for significantly more than many of our award winners. But it does have excellent cushioning, comfort, and performance at a price that is less than that of other super trainers. We don't recommend it to beginning runners or to runners who have issues with plated shoes. But if none of those things are issues for you, we think you will love this shoe.

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