Discontinued · road · Daily / Recovery / Long run · $155
Earlier generation of the Hoka Gaviota line, kept for replacement lookups.
Built for daily, recovery, long run, at a target pace of 9:30–12:30 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Hoka Gaviota 5.
Hoka tuned this midsole very soft (5/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is modest, so the ride feels protective and damp rather than springy. At 40 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as muted at 1/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It offers real guidance through the gait cycle — useful for runners whose form collapses when tired.
The toe-box is wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 500 miles from the outsole, about $0.31 per mile at $155.
For the foams and plates Hoka uses across its line, read the Hoka brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
324 g / 11.4 oz
49 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
40 mm
4 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$155
5 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
1 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
5 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~500 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Hoka line it is heavier than the brand's median (275 g / 9.7 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Topo Athletic Atmos 2
281 g / 9.9 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $170
Max-cushion, pillowy recovery trainer with a roomy forefoot.
Saucony Endorphin Shift 4
300 g / 10.6 oz · 42 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Big, stable, rockered cruiser for high-mileage easy days.
Hoka Gaviota 5
310 g / 10.9 oz · 36 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $175
Hoka's maximal stability shoe: heavy, plush and firmly guided.
New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6
303 g / 10.7 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $165
Stability daily trainer using a guidance film instead of a hard post.