NordicTrack X16 Treadmill Review: Reach Your Peak Fitness

Dimensions/Storability

The NordicTrack Incline trainers are the antithesis of small and compact. They are fitness to the max, and you will need plenty of room for this hulking beast, but it’s worth it. Its dimensions are 69.9” x 38.1” x73.3”, and it does not fold. You will also need to clear extra room around the treadmill to ensure your safety.

An adequate ceiling height is crucial for the X16’s performance. It has a 13.66” step-up height. With the deck fully inclined, you need a ceiling height that is at least 40” taller than the tallest treadmill user. For a 6’ runner, that’s about a 9.5’ ceiling.

The X16 has transport wheels, but it weighs around 400 lbs or 445 lbs as it comes shipped in the box. One person may not be able to lift and roll this treadmill alone. We have typically worked in pairs or reserved, moving a treadmill of this size for the strongest members of our team. It’s not something any of us want to do regularly.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

One of the most important things to know before deciding on the NordicTrack X16 Treadmill is how integral iFIT is to the experience. You need an iFIT membership to access most of the features, and at minimum, you need an iFIT account. The account is free and easy to set up. I actually set up another free account for this review, and it took me about 3 minutes.

A free account gives you access to the manual training mode and ten training programs. These programs are a mixture of featured iFIT classes and preset workouts with a layout similar to the manual training mode screen.

iFIT

With iFIT, you get so much more, and I really recommend subscribing for the best experience. iFIT provides a full suite of performance and training features and has one of the most extensive trainer-led video libraries we have used.

The typical iFIT class is led by a trainer who takes you through a workout on a beautiful outdoor trail. You’ll forget you are on the treadmill as you hike through the Rockies, run through Rome, and train in Thailand. The treadmill automatically adjusts to preset speed levels and matches the onscreen terrain as closely as possible.

While all iFIT treadmills try to match the onscreen terrain, only the incline trainers, such as the X16, can truly match the grades of every iFIT route. If you want to hike mountains or bomb downhill, the X16 might be the best!

In workouts, there are two options for customizing your training sessions even further: you can turn on SmartAdjust or ActivePulse. SmartAdjust uses your past workout history to customize the speed of each workout to your fitness level. Alternatively, ActivePulse uses your heart rate (with a connected monitor) to adjust the speed to keep you in a set heart rate zone.

ActivePulse has been awesome for my training because I often find the workout presets too slow or too fast. However, I have noticed a few instances where iFIT does not give my heart rate enough time to adjust to a new speed, and it increases it again. I hope that the new version of iFIT will improve this feature, but generally, it has been great to have.

For further personalization, try the iFIT AI Coach. This feature is still in development, but it is expected to be a key part of the new NordicTrack treadmills, including the X16. One of our reviewers already has access to the AI Coach. The Coach contacts you via text and updates your iFIT home screen with your workouts for the day.

iFIT is more than treadmill classes. There are training series, challenges, and non-treadmill classes. You can use your iFIT account with other compatible equipment or take strength and yoga classes. You can build your entire fitness routine around iFIT.

The AI Coach uses both treadmill and non-treadmill workouts to build out your routine. It’s a pretty cool feature. I think it could be handy for runners training for a race, especially for anyone who doesn’t have a running coach or training plan already. It is also helpful in ensuring you don’t neglect your strength and mobility training like many runners do.

One of my favorite features included in iFIT 2.0 is the workout builder. The Create tab gives you the ability to create a target program (time, distance, calories) and to build a custom interval workout with speed and incline settings of your choosing.

For those of you who want to zone out with some entertainment while training on the X16, there are several options. First, Netflix and Prime Video are available for streaming if you have an account for either of them. I watched 90 minutes of The Watcher on Netflix yesterday while running on the X22i, and I have to say, I am a fan of this new feature.

If music is more of your jam, Spotify is rumored to make an appearance on the X16. Again, you will need a Spotify account to access it, but it should be a great pairing.We haven’t seen this update yet. We are still rocking out to the Feed.FM radio available on all iFIT machines. Feed.FM gives you six skips per hour and multiple genre radio stations at no extra cost.

One beloved iFIT feature is currently missing from the latest iFIT update: Google Maps. We expect this feature to appear soon. It was previously available on iFIT and allowed you to create a route anywhere. Then, you could watch the Google Maps Street View of the route as your treadmill’s incline automatically matched the real-life grade of the location.

We are still discovering new features. iFIT is also still rolling them out. We will update this review once we test them out on the X16.

Console

The X16’s console notably lacks buttons. There are buttons for starting the treadmill, stopping the treadmill, adjusting the speed by 0.1 mph, adjusting the incline by 0.5%, adjusting the fan, and changing the volume. These buttons may be sufficient but do not include the OneTouch buttons we expected from NordicTrack.

Instead of seeing a physical button for each speed and incline level on the console, these controls are now on the touchscreen only. You can toggle these buttons on and off so they don’t cover your screen the whole time.

While this layout looks sleeker, it reduces accessibility for some users. For example, you can overlay Braille or another tactile writing system onto permanent console buttons with stickers, but you can’t do that with a touchscreen. It also relies on the screen being responsive enough for quick in-workout adjustments. We are eager to test this change to see how practical it is.

The NordicTrack X16 comes with a 16-inch touchscreen display. This screen size is a downgrade from the X22i, which we expect the X16 to replace. However, the layout is much improved. I’m also happy that this screen pivots for off-treadmill viewing. It makes doing those strength and mat classes a lot easier.

Most of the controls are now onscreen. Fortunately, we love the new layout of iFIT. Everything feels very easy to understand and to navigate. We are interested in seeing how easy it is to interact with the X16’s screen at different incline grades. It was hard to reach the X22i and X32i screens at the top incline, so I hope that is fixed with this new model.

The speakers are front-facing. The sound quality has been nice on all of the NordicTrack machines we have tested so far, so we don’t expect anything less from the X16. We don’t know if the speakers are Bluetooth to play audio from your phone, but with streaming apps and Spotify included on the X16, we are content if they are not.

iFIT is all about the hands-free experience. The fan uses Autobreeze technology to sync the fan speed to your training level. If your walk or run intensifies, the fan speed will increase. You can also manually control the fan. There should be three speed modes if the previous NordicTrack treadmill fans are anything to go off of.

Another big improvement for the X16 is the storage. While there are only two cup holders, these look a lot more accessible than the cup holders on the X22i and X32i, which were located almost behind the screen and impossible to reach from some incline grades.

The X16 is Bluetooth compatible. It will pair with Bluetooth headphones and heart rate monitors. Connecting a Bluetooth heart rate monitor is essential to use the ActivePulse technology. The treadmill does not have EKG pulse grips built into it.

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