Saucony Kinvara 4

Name: Saucony Kinvara 4
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.4 (129 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.7 oz · 4mm drop · 22/18mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Kinvara 5 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Kinvara 4 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who came to it from another shoe preferred it. The rating rests on 129 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Kinvara product line.

Decent

73/100

Overall

Decent 73

Value

Good 83

Comfort

Good 83

Appearance

Good 80

Cushioning

Decent 76

Durability

Bottom-tier 49

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

99/100

Very high 99

What runners say

“Minimal enough for mid-strike and ground feel, yet still protective.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for middle distance

“Zero issues, injuries, or will to find another running shoe.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon

“Before they break down, the most comfortable, lightweight shoes that make you feel fast.”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw 521 miles in this shoe training for middle distance

“Fit perfect, lightweight, feel like running on pillows.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Not durable at all; every pair ends up with holes after a couple of months.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon

“Toe box is wide—great for slow running, not so good for fast running.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon

“Haven't experienced a trainer as responsive at high speeds.”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for middle distance

“Can run 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, and track in one shoe.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon

“Got 2 stress fractures back to back—not enough support.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw 196 miles in this shoe training for a marathon

“Lasts up to 450 miles if the upper doesn't fall apart.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw 12,166 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

42% 32/77

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers find it light at 7.7 oz and comfortable for daily miles.
Runners use it for easy days, tempos and races alike.
Many reviewers like the 4mm drop and the low, flexible feel.

Cons

The upper mesh often tears at the toe box within months, several reviewers by 250 to 300 miles.
Durability is by far its lowest-rated dimension at 3.2 out of 5, with reviewers reporting the outsole foam wearing fast and the cushioning packing out early.
Several reviewers prefer earlier Kinvara versions, and the Kinvara 3 and 5 both score 97 against this shoe's 73.

Kinvara 4 rates 73. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Kinvara

Each dot is one version of the Kinvara, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

58 2011 97 73 2013 97 97 2015 98 89 2017 88 97 2019 71 87 2021 77 88 2023 82 88 2025

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Kinvara 16

2025 · 2 reviews

88 Good

74 Confidence
Kinvara 15

2024 · 13 reviews

82 Good

84 Confidence
Kinvara 14

2023 · 49 reviews

88 Good

94 Confidence
Kinvara 13

2022 · 36 reviews

77 Decent

93 Confidence
Kinvara 12

2021 · 6 reviews

87 Good

84 Confidence
Kinvara 11

2020 · 7 reviews

71 Decent

76 Confidence
Kinvara 10

2019 · 51 reviews

97 Exceptional

98 Confidence
Kinvara 9

2018 · 55 reviews

88 Good

97 Confidence
Kinvara 8

2017 · 57 reviews

89 Good

98 Confidence
Kinvara 7

2016 · 21 reviews

98 Exceptional

97 Confidence
Kinvara 6

2015 · 8 reviews

97 Exceptional

94 Confidence
Kinvara 5

2014 · 128 reviews

97 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Kinvara 4 This shoe

2013 · 129 reviews

73 Decent

99 Confidence
Kinvara 3

2012 · 11 reviews

97 Excellent

92 Confidence
Kinvara 2

2011 · 3 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

75 Confidence

Reader Ratings

129 ratings

5/5 61

4/5 60

3/5 7

2/5 0

1/5 1

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.7 oz
Release: 2013
MSRP: $100
Stack Height: 22mm heel - 18mm toe
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

This shoe is great for speedwork as well very flexible and light. Only downside is the bottom of the outside of the shoe should have some rubber for durability improvements. As well the upper should be made a bit more durable especially near the pinky toe.

Anonymous runner · Mar 3, 2016

25 mpw training for middle distance came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 13

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Dec 18, 2015

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Great shoe for a neutral runner. Used it religiously for workouts and long runs, while I switched it up with Hoka Cliftons for maintenance days (Kinvaras were good for maintenance days as well, just liked wearing cliftons for the slower stuff). Lightweight, comfortable, and felt real smooth when going quick. I eventually had to switch to a shoe with more support, since I had an injury resulting from excessive pronation, but this shoe is great for any neutral runner looking for a jack-of-all-trade shoes.

Ricky Rozay_ · Dec 13, 2015

60 mpw 1,825 miles in this shoe came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 6, 2015

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 15

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Great! Used to do all my mileage in racing flats of different brands and models. I am a big fan of the saucony Type A series and the New balance 1400 v2. These give me the same rather minimal feel but with a bit more durability.

Anonymous runner · Jul 21, 2015

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1400 v2