New Balance Fresh Foam More V5 Revisit: A Pure Comfort Max Cushion Shoe in a Bouncy New Era

Introduction

The New Balance Fresh Foam More V5 launched to genuine excitement, then quietly slipped out of the conversation. That is an odd fate for the brand’s flagship max cushion shoe, so this revisit asks a simple question: does it still deserve a place in your rotation?

The short answer is yes, but only if you know exactly what you are buying. The More V5 is not trying to be a versatile do-it-all trainer. It is tuned strictly for comfort, and in a market where every new max cushion release now promises bounce, energy return, and speed, this is arguably the last of a dying breed: a shoe that just wants to be soft.

Why the Hype Faded

A few things explain why the More V5 lost momentum so quickly. First, New Balance was arguably at the top of its game in 2024, and a wave of newer releases has since leapfrogged its Fresh Foam midsole. Newer max cushion shoes combine plush comfort with far more bounce, and buyers increasingly expect that combination.

Second, the More V5 got buried in the hype cycle. It arrived in the summer, followed quickly by the Mag Max, the Glycerin Max, and later the 1080, all of which captured the conversation. Third, the fit developed a reputation. Many runners reported a narrow toe box that could cause blisters, and that perception stuck even though plenty of people, especially those with narrower feet, run in it happily.

None of that makes it a bad shoe. It just makes it a specialized one, in a market that currently rewards versatility over specialization.

How It Measures Up

The More V5 is a big shoe. Measured with the outsole included, the heel stack reaches about 70 mm, roughly 65 mm of that being foam, though the foot actually sits lower inside that sculpted stack. The base is extremely wide, around 108 mm, which adds stability but also weight.

On the scale it comes in at about 337 g, noticeably heavier than comparable max cushion shoes. The Puma Mag Max weighs in around 321 g, and the Mizuno NeoZen, despite a similar stack height, is an astonishing 257 g with much livelier foam. In pure paper terms, Fresh Foam is a generation behind the newer compounds in bounce and weight.

That said, miles are not run on paper. The generous wrapping of foam around the foot does contribute real stability, and the sculpted rocker geometry is one of the most underrated elements of the shoe, doing a nice job of rolling you through the stride with almost no effort.

Ride Feel: A Plotting Cruiser, Not a Race Weapon

Out on the road, the More V5 is exactly what its positioning suggests: supremely comfortable and thoroughly slow. It is easy to run in, the foam compresses with no force, and the rocker quietly keeps your legs cycling along. For easy days, that combination is genuinely pleasant.

What it does not offer is speed. This may legitimately be one of the slowest shoes on the market, and an easy pace run in it will hold you back, which for recovery purposes is arguably a feature. The shoe encourages you to stay relaxed and take the burden off your legs.

The softness has limits. The heel platform does not extend far back, so landings can feel slightly short, and very powerful or heavier runners have reported the forefoot compressing too much. Some users have also noted the midsole bottoming out over time, so durability is a fair concern compared with the notably durable foams in the Mag Max and Glycerin Max.

At lighter weights and easier paces, though, it sits right at the sweet spot: soft enough to feel like a pillow, but not so squishy that it becomes unstable.

Comfort Fit and the Narrow Toe Box

Fit is the area where the More V5 falls behind its rivals. The toe box measures noticeably narrower than the Mag Max, and the blister reputation is well documented. Nearly every other shoe in the category, from the Vomero 18 to the Nimbus and Ghost Max 2, has been widened out; this one has not.

If you have a narrower foot, that is actually good news. You get the same plush comfort in a shape that most competitors no longer offer. If you have a wider forefoot, this is the reason to look elsewhere first.

How It Compares to the Max Cushion Field

Within the current max cushion category, the More V5 is the softest of the bunch: softer than the Glycerin Max, the Vomero 18, and even the Nimbus. It is also the slowest and one of the heaviest, and it lacks the range of its competitors. It is not as bouncy as the Nimbus, not as inherently stable as the Bondi, and it does not carry the race-foam associations that help sell newer models.

Against the top of the pile right now, the Mag Max and the Glycerin Max, it simply cannot match their blend of comfort plus bounce. At 155 dollars it undercuts the Glycerin Max’s 200 dollar price and the Mag Max’s 180, and on sale it becomes an even easier value case for a dedicated easy-day shoe.

Who Should Still Buy the More V5

This shoe makes sense for a specific runner:

• Someone who wants maximum cushion comfort and nothing else
• A lighter runner or one who runs easy days at genuinely relaxed paces
• Anyone with a narrower forefoot who has found wider max cushion shoes sloppy
• Runners building a three-shoe rotation who want a dedicated recovery workhorse

It makes far less sense for anyone chasing a bouncy, peppy daily trainer. In that case the newer alternatives are simply better buys.

Conclusion

The Fresh Foam More V5 is easy to overlook and just as easy to dismiss, but neither reaction is quite fair. It is heavy, slow, and narrow, and it lags the current foam generation on paper. It is also one of the most pleasant, relaxing shoes you can lace up when the plan says easy.

If your rotation has room for a shoe whose only job is comfort, this last-of-a-dying-breed trainer is still a good one, especially at a discount. Just go in knowing exactly what it is: more foam, more cushion, more comfort, and nothing pretending to be more than that.