Horizon Adventure 5 Review

Last Updated Sep 9, 2020

Editor's Rating: 8.9 /10

The Horizon Adventure 5 Treadmill is all-new for 2015. Designed for runners, it has a 60″ x 20″ running surface and a 2.5 CHP drive. Its highlights include 35 built-in programs, ViaFit Connect to track your fitness progress, and Passport video workouts. Passport works with your home television. The Adventure 5 Treadmill (which is a step up from the Horizon Adventure 3) also has advanced cushioning and a maximum 12% incline.

The Horizon Adventure 5 price currently includes Bronze delivery, which involves bringing the treadmill inside. You can pay more to have the treadmill delivered upstairs and assembled, which is worth it.

What We Like:

ViaFit Connect: ViaFit is new Horizon technology. It can connect your treadmill to the Internet if you have wireless Internet within range. The main benefit of ViaFit Connect is the automatic tracking of your fitness data. It’s too early to say whether the ViaFit app will be a hit – but if you don’t like it, you can also use this treadmill with other fitness apps that chart distance, calorie burn and other workout data.
Passport: Passport has long been used by other treadmill brands. It is new for Horizon in late 2014. Passport connects the Adventure series treadmills to customers’ own televisions via wifi. High-definition Passport video simulates beautiful outdoor exercise experiences by adjusting to the speed and intensity of your walk or run. Why is it called “Passport?” Some examples of video destinations are the French Riviera, Venetian canals, and the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Track Length: The track length of 60″ ideal for most runners, allowing for full strides at high speed. The width is the standard 20″.
Variable Response Cushioning: Variable Response Cushioning on the Horizon Adventure 5 Treadmill has three firmness zones (front, middle and back). The front has a well-cushioned landing zone and the back is firmest for push-off. This special cushioning helps reduce the chance of knee injuries and can also boost your performance.
35 Programs: Choose from manual mode or 32 preset workouts: nine for calorie burn, 10 for distance, 10 “step” programs, and three interval training workouts. You can also design and save two personalized programs.
Display: The Adventure 5 Treadmill displays data on a 7.5” screen with soft blue lighting. The workout data shown include time, distance, incline, speed, calories burned, pulse, and laps. A racetrack graphic helps visualize your progress. Overall this console screen is nice but not luxurious. (Some treadmills have bigger screens with full color and touch.) But as described above, you can also use this treadmill with special video workouts and your TV; Horizon’s Passport system provides a sort of virtual reality as you exercise.
Console Extras: Adventure Series Treadmills have reading racks and cup holders, just like treadmills at health clubs.
High Speed: The treadmill’s top speed is 12 mph.
Audio: Enjoy your music during workouts! The Horizon Adventure 5 has a USB port for MP3 players. Speakers measuring about 3″ x 5″ are built into the console.
Incline: Walk uphill on your treadmill! The Horizon Adventure 5 treadmill track can incline up to 12%, helping you boost your metabolism and get extra muscle tone. The tilt can be adjusted manually or controlled with preset programs.
Motor: This unit has a 2.5 CHP motor. 2.5 CHP provides more power than 2.5 HP motors on other treadmills. This motor has a lifetime warranty and is advertised as being especially quiet.
Folding: The Horizon Adventure 5 Treadmill can easily be folded to reveal more than two feet of floor space. The folded dimensions are 50″ long x 34″ wide. Unfolded, the footprint is 76″ x 34″.
Energy Saving: If the treadmill becomes idle for 15 minutes, the console will switch off to save energy.

Horizon Adventure 5 Treadmill - Key Specs:

Star Rating:	4-stars
Motor:	2.5 HP
Incline:	0 - 12%
Running Area:	20" x 60"
Folding:	Yes
Top Speed:	12 MPH
Weight Capacity:	325 LBS
Dimensions:	76" L x 34" W x 54" H
Built-In Programs:	35

What We Don’t Like:

Contact Grips: The only pulse monitor on the Adventure 5 is manual. Contact grips are less convenient and tend to be less accurate than wireless pulse monitoring systems.
Maintenance Required: Owners need to grease the track occasionally. That’s typical for a $1299 treadmill, but as you approach spending $2000 you can get a treadmill that’s self-maintaining.
Stability: The Adventure 5 Treadmill is marked with a maximum capacity of 300 pounds, but we’re skeptical. Horizon Fitness has a history of assigning weight capacities that don’t pan out in real life. When this machine is properly assembled, we expect good stability for users weighing up to 200 pounds and maybe more. The machine weighs 188 pounds.
Customer Service: Horizon Fitness’s customer service can be frustrating with extended wait times. Some customer reviews for other Horizon treadmills mention unacceptable delays for parts replacements and service calls. We spoke with Horizon about this issue and they advised us of the recent improvements made to lower wait times and also explained that they don’t outsource customer service which in our opinion comes with other advantages. Once you get a person, you’ll likely have a much better experience than what you might find from other manufacturers.
Warranty: The warranty is OK for this price point. You’ll get a lifetime frame and motor warranty, a three-year parts warranty and a one-year labor warranty. Labor is not available in all parts of the US, such as rural parts of Texas.

Our Verdict:

From its cushioned track to its loaded console, the Horizon Adventure 5 has a great list of specs. The programming is diverse and should satisfy almost any walker or runner, with marathon trainers excluded.

We expect the Horizon Adventure 5 Treadmill to rate well among customers who have reasonable expectations in terms of durability. This unit has a three-year parts warranty.