Weight 414g
Evaluation Asics has been trying to make the motion-control more natural on some of its shoes over the last couple of years by slowing and guiding the foot, rather than just restricting it with firm medial posts. Now it’s the turn of the Gel Koji GS, which replaces the venerable
MC+ at the top of its motion-control range.
First signs are that it’s a better shoe in almost every way. It’s certainly more wearable. The midsole has been scooped out in the midfoot for a smoother ride, and there’s a very slight curve in the last of the shoe, for increased smoothness. Normally these things would compromise stability, but Asics has added enough new control features to – hopefully – balance this out. Starting at the back of the shoe, Asics has built in a heavy-duty version of its Impact Guidance System, and the section of it that cradles the foot extends further forward on both sides than the more basic version on the MC+ did. The Koji also
features two plastic fins in the midsole, and the laces pull the side straps of the logo snug, to give more support than the MC+ did. From a wearability angle, the midsole is rounded to the shape of the foot rather than being flat, and the heelstrike is smoother and more natural.
We didn’t have big enough weartest
samples to get reports from our heavier testers and most severe overpronators, so we can’t tell you whether Koji matches the MC+
for the most extreme runners, but it
looks promising.
In short The Koji is the smoother replacement to Asics’s top-end MC+. It’s not lighter, but it’s more
wearable in almost every way.
Try it on if you liked Asics Gel MC+ (£75);
Saucony GRID Stabil (£75);
Brooks Beast (£85)
