NordicTrack Elite 4000 Treadmill Review

One of the world’s best known names in home-use fitness machines, NordicTrack always have, and continue to be, one of the leading lights in the game. With a range of treadmills that’s got something for everyone from casual runners to serious athletes they’re one of the brands that everyone researching treadmills before making a purchase will come across. The Elite 4000 is at the high end of their domestic offerings and as it was high time to take another look at their range, we got one in for testing.

At first sight of the box as the delivery crew unload it it’s immediately obvious that this is a serious bit of kit. At over 2 metres tall and weighing more than 145kg the box tells a story before you’ve even opened it. Once safely inside (and kudos to the drivers for managing it so well) it was time to get cracking and it was quickly obvious that unpacking it was going to be half the battle! Once unpacked, the assembly wasn’t too bad and if you’re experienced with flat pack furniture you shouldn’t find assembly a problem, though it’s most definitely a two-person job. If you’re not confident with putting flat pack stuff together then it’s probably best to ask your retailer about installation. That being said it took us 35 minutes to assemble and there was no difficult points, though unpacking felt like it took almost as long as putting it together, so be prepared to spend about an hour in total on assembly.

Once assembled and with all the packaging cleared away, the Elite 4000 looks darn good. It’s impressively big, looks uber-modern with a lot of shiny, futuristic, surfaces and really looks like it wouldn’t be out of place in a gym. The TV on the top of the console also adds to the impression that the Elite 4000 is not your average run-of-the-mill domestic running machine.

Unlike most treadmills, in between building it and using it for the first time, there’s the additional step of setting up the internet connection for the treadmill and downloading the latest firmware. Updating the firmware all takes care of itself and is pretty much automatic, with everything being made especially simple because of the 7 inch full colour touch-screen display (more on that later). Next, it’s necessary to run the incline calibration program, again this is made very easy and is done by the press of a few buttons.  At this point it’s also probably a good idea to set up your iFit account given the Elite 4000 comes into its own when it’s used in conjunction with iFit. But, that’s a step that we skipped, as we’re already have an iFit account and a review of the iFit functionality isn’t the intention here. If you do want more information on iFit, how it works and what it does we’d recommend going to www.ifit.com where you can find out all about it.

The steps above may sound involved but in truth it’s all made easy and doesn’t take very long and once done you’re ready to go, and, as soon as you stand on this treadmill you know where your budget went. There’s acres of space on the oversized 55cm x 152cm (22” x 60”) deck. It doesn’t matter how tall you are, this is a truly huge running area that you’ll only beat by moving up to a full commercial model. It feels nice and spacious and provides a solid, safe running platform. For people that are used to road running, the default shock setting on the Elite 4000 might feel a bit soft, but that’s easily remedied as the Runners Flex™ cushioning system is adjustable by simply turning the knob located at the base of the deck. Most users will find the default setting just fine and it’s easy to appreciate, even after just a 2 minute run, what a good job the cushioning system does. It’s very comfy without being too soft and bouncy but it’s possible to make it even softer just by turning the cushioning adjustment knob in the other direction so if you’ve got very sensitive joints like your reviewer then the Elite 4000 can be set up to cater for you too – most welcome!

As you’d expect, this is a machine that’s more than a match for mere mortals. Top speed maxes out at 22kph (13.6mph) and the incline at a true 15%. Just for fun, we took turns running at max speed and incline to see who in the could stay on it the longest, which was fun, but like most fun things didn’t last long ? The huge motor on this machine simply makes light work of anything thrown at it!

Unusually, the Elite 4000 also has a decline function that goes down to 3%, which makes this model especially good for real-world running training. This really comes into its own when running routes mapped out in Google Maps (an iFit feature) and the incline alters automatically to match the terrain of the route . The console is a real joy to use and absolutely packed full of features: Built-in rolling videos, a huge number preset programmes and the 7 inch, full colour touch screen display is an absolute joy to use. It’s extremely clear and can be switched between different modes whilst exercising. For us, old fashioned track display is the favourite.

Overall, the Elite 4000 is packed full of as many bells and whistles as we’ve ever seen on a treadmill: touchscreen console, dual fans, speakers, adjustable cushioning, a really nice LCD display at eye level above the console to connect to a video source and watch a film whilst exercising etc. But, all this aside, this is one great running machine with more power than pretty much anyone could need!