If you’re hunting for an ultra-cushioned daily trainer to soak up long, slow recovery miles, the Mizuno Neo Vista 2 may have already caught your eye.
I’ve been testing this second iteration to see whether the soft midsole, one-piece upper, and sustainable materials add up to something special.
After plenty of miles, I have mixed feelings on these but mostly I'm a little disappointed. Here’s what you need to know before deciding if it’s right for you.
Key Specifications
- Price: $200 at Zappos.com / £150 at Sportsshoes.com (For UK readers)
- Weight: 9.3 oz (264 g) men’s US 9
- Drop: 8 mm (45 mm heel / 37 mm forefoot)
- Upper: Thick knit upper with triangular heel panels for support, tongue-less slip-on design
- Midsole: 3-layer system
- Top layer: Supercritical nitrogen-infused MIZUNO ENERZY NXT foam
- Middle layer: MIZUNO WAVE fiberglass/nylon plate
- Bottom layer: firmer EVA Enerzy foam
- Outsole: Full perimeter rubber coverage with a central exposed channel and a midfoot foam bar
- Extra Attributes:
- Smooth Speed Assist rocker geometry
- ~70% recycled materials by weight
Sizing and Fit
I found the fit to be one of the trickiest parts of this shoe.
Mizuno Neo Vista 2 sizing and fit advice
It runs at least half a size large with a high-volume midfoot and forefoot. Even after cinching the laces tight, I was still sliding around unless I over-tightened.
If you have wide feet, go with your usual sizing and I think you'll enjoy the fit but for narrow to medium width feet you may experience the upper bunching uncomfortably over the top of your foot, unless you size down accordingly.
There is also somewhat of a design flaw, around the top eyelet where the laces are required to be threaded inside the shoe. see images below:
outside view of the lateral final eyelets (left), inside view showing the lace extruded, which causes blisters on the lateral side of your foot (right)
This causes a rubbing point where the lacing extrudes. This gave me blisters in areas I never thought possible, and it could so easily be avoided with a simple design tweak to the final eyelet.
I run in and test A LOT of running shoes, and I rarely get blisters like this, so that's pretty disappointing, especially as I loved the Neo Zen, which seems to have a similar setup, but does not cause rubbing points for me.
Performance Review
This is where things got complicated for me. At easy paces, the Neo Vista 2 is exactly what it claims: plush, soft, and protective.
Long slow runs felt almost effortless in terms of impact, and my legs appreciated the deep cushion when I was tired or recovering from harder efforts.
Alastair Dixon
The Smooth Speed Assist rocker does help you roll through your stride, especially if you land on your heel, and the bouncy underfoot feel can be enjoyable for relaxed cruising.
But the problems start when you ask this shoe to do anything other than slow, steady running - which was a surprise for me because it's priced at $200, and positioned as a super trainer.
The combination of 45mm of foam under the heel and the mellow fiberglass/nylon plate just doesn’t mesh well together during foot transition.
There’s so much squish underfoot that any sense of propulsion or pop disappears, no matter how hard I tried to pick up the pace, it felt like running on a big foam mattress.
Transitions became sloppy, especially if I landed further forward or tried to lean into a faster turnover.
They are going to be better suited to slower, heavier runners, who tend to heel strike, and want to work on edging up their speed but then again, there are better super trainers to help those, and any other runner achieve this, better.
While the softer MIZUNO ENERZY NXT midsole is more lively under the forefoot than the first version, in my experience it went too far, and everything starts to feel overly dampened.
I couldn’t feel the plate working with me, and the forefoot just sank under load.
Traction is good thanks to the new lugged outsole tread, and the extra foam bar across the midfoot does help prevent the platform from splaying out.
Breathability has been inconsistent, with some areas of the knit upper venting heat decently, while other zones trapped it, leading to hot feet on longer runs.
This is made worse by the boot-like design of the one piece upper that features collars that enclose your foot within the shoe.
Combine that with the bunching tongue-less design, and it was hard to dial in a truly comfortable fit for me. Maybe had I known about needing a half size smaller, the better tuned fit would have made a world of difference.
Alastair Dixon
Overall, I see this as a niche option for heavier heel strikers who value maximum softness over any sense of snappiness or agility.
If you want a more versatile daily trainer, I’d look elsewhere, like the Neo Zen, which offers a much more balanced and responsive ride - and it currently ranks #1 in my best daily trainers roundup.
My Verdict
The Mizuno Neo Vista 2 does a few things very well; It offers an exceptionally cushioned platform for recovery runs and slow daily mileage.
The upper locks the rearfoot down well, and the sustainable materials are a welcome step forward.
But it also feels like too much shoe; too big, too soft, and a little unstable if you stray from gentle paces. For $200, I expected more versatility and a ride that didn’t fall flat the moment I tried to speed up.
If your running is almost entirely slow miles and you love a big squishy midsole, you might love this. For everyone else, it’s probably going to feel like overkill, for the price.
