ASICS Sonic Blast: First Runs in ASICS's New Plated Daily Trainer

Introduction

The Sonic Blast is the newest addition to ASICS’s Blast series, announced alongside the Mega Blast, and it aims at a specific gap in the lineup: a lightweight daily trainer geared towards more uptempo runs. It sits above the Nova Blast 5 and below the Super Blast 2, and after some early running time, it makes a complicated but interesting first impression. The performance is clearly there, but the ride feel may take some convincing.

What the Sonic Blast Actually Is

The Sonic Blast is positioned as a fast daily trainer, and the spec sheet backs that up. It is priced at £170 in the UK and $180 in the US, weighs 256 g (9 oz), and carries an 8 mm drop with stack heights of 46 mm at the heel and 38 mm at the forefoot.

The construction is where things get interesting. Up top there is an engineered mesh upper with a stretchy thin tongue and modest padding at the heel. Below sits a dual-density midsole combining FF Blast Max with the new FF Turbo Square cushioning also found in the Mega Blast, and between the two foams lies a 3/4-length Peba-based spacing plate to add liveliness to the ride. The outsole uses ASICS Grip rubber with more coverage placed at the forefoot, designed to handle a mixture of terrain.

How It Fits

Sizing looks straightforward. Testing in a normal ASICS size (UK 9 / US 10 for one tester, UK 8 for the other) produced a good fit with plenty of toe room, solid hold around the heel and midfoot, and no concerns worth flagging.

That said, the fit is noticeably different from other Blast shoes. Compared to the Super Blast and Nova Blast, the Sonic Blast is a little tighter around the toes, narrower through the midfoot, and has less padding overall. It sits closer to the speed-focused Meta Speed shoes in character: not as thin or breathable, but definitely a shoe designed with faster sessions in mind. The skinny tongue stayed put fine in early runs, and the limited heel counter caused no irritation.

First Runs: Fast but Firm

The headline from early running is simple: the speed is there, but the ride is firm. In a 45-minute progression run finishing around marathon pace, the paces came comfortably and the forefoot delivered plenty of response and push-off. The FF Turbo Square foam is very resilient, dense, and clearly built to last, though it feels like it may break in slightly over time.

At easier paces the shoe felt more awkward. The ride is firmer and a bit blocky, particularly around the heel where ASICS’s typically big heel stack makes itself known to heel strikers. The plate adds to the firmness, and the shoe is not especially flexible. The transition is fast and the shoe is reasonably stable thanks to the plate and a fairly wide midsole, but it lacks the smooth, flowing quality of the best plated trainers out of the box. One tester summed it up as feeling like the Magic Speed of the Blast range: effective, fast, and controlled, but requiring some mileage and patience to get the best out of it.

How It Compares to the Competition

Against similarly profiled rivals, the Sonic Blast faces stiff competition. Shoes like the Adidas Evo SL, Saucony Endorphin Speed 5, and Hoka Mach X2 felt nicer out of the box, with smoother, more comfortable rides, and several of them are more affordable. The Endorphin Speed 5 in particular feels smoother rolling through thanks to its rocker. The Sonic Blast’s slightly blocky design takes away a little ride enjoyment by comparison, and the Mega Blast, with its softer plateless feel, was preferred on first impression.

On the plus side, the Sonic Blast is more controlled and stable when running hard than the wilder, livelier Meta Speed range, and it handles easy miles better than its firmness suggests. It looks like a plated super trainer that can cover a wide range of runs, provided you accept that the ride needs some breaking in rather than delivering instant comfort.

Buying Advice

If you want a fast, stable plated trainer for uptempo work and you do not mind a firm, dense ride that may soften with mileage, the Sonic Blast deserves a spot on your shortlist. If instant out-of-the-box ride comfort is your priority, alternatives like the Endorphin Speed 5 or Evo SL currently feel more polished. At £170 / $180 it is priced at the upper end of the daily trainer category, so it is worth waiting to see whether the foam loosens up with more miles.

Conclusion

The ASICS Sonic Blast makes a strong first impression on paper and a genuinely quick one on the road, delivering the speed and stability its position in the Blast series promises. The firm, slightly blocky ride is the main caveat, and more testing will show whether the FF Turbo Square foam eases up enough to let this shoe fully come into its own.