Xterra TRX 4500 Treadmill Review 2024

How long will the Xterra TRX 4500 last?

While not likely to run like the Energizer Bunny, the Xterra TRX4500 should provide a number of good years for the average to the every-now-and-again user. The consumer would be safe to have a good amount of faith in the TRX 4500 seeing as how the people who made it are willing to stand behind it with a reasonable warranty. Still, it is important to keep in mind the quality that this price tag allows.

As always, we like to encourage users to take the time to read up on how to maintain a treadmill. Striving to create an ideal environment for your equipment will help to ensure a greater life expectancy.

Brief Overview

If you are more interested in a well-built treadmill that will simply be a treadmill and not an in-home gym with a workout coach, then the TRX 4500 is a treadmill to consider. Yet, since the TRX 4500 does not have the strongest build or the most valuable programming, we have dubbed the TRX 4500 First Place Winner in our 2021 Best Buy race for the $700 to $999 dollar range.

Before we can get into the nitty-gritty features, let’s first look at the TRX 4500 treadmill’s other features so we can understand this Xterra treadmill. First, we see that Xterra advertises the TRX 4500’s ‘oversized 7.5”bright blue backlit LCD display.” We would like to poke a hole in this embellishment bubble. Xterra has spent more of their TRX 4500 budget on the treadmill’s build and utility-features which left the TRX 4500 lacking in the electronics department. Xterra included a basic, Game-Boy-like display that is nowhere near the value of other HD Touchscreen displays on the market. But, in order to make the TRX 4500’s display seem better, Xterra has described it as this oversized blue backlit display. Next, you may see the XTRASoft deck cushioning technology. Xterra is not known for their shock absorption design like other treadmill companies. This is not to say that the TRX 4500’s cushioning is inexpensive. Rather, the TRX 4500 ‘s shock absorbers are standard for this price range and Xterra decided to embellish them with some marketing titles.

You may like a folding treadmill. The TRX 4500 is one of the many folding treadmills. Xterra describes the TRX 4500 treadmill’s folding abilities as the Lift Assist frame design. They have also advertised a Safe Drop feature. This feature is similar to Icon brands’ “EasyLift Assist.” The TRX 4500, like many other treadmills in this price range, not only folds, but it also has a hydraulic mechanism that slowly pushes the deck into folded position and back into unfolded position. The Safe Drop and Lift Assist, thus, make it easy to fold and unfold your TRX 4500 treadmill.

Overall Quality

There are a few different types of coffee drinkers in the world. Those who take the time to appreciate the yield from a percolator, those who enjoy the rapid convenience of the Keurig, and those who say, "screw it, I'm going to Starbucks." The TRX 4500 is most well-suited for the person who takes the time to still use a percolator. While there are thirty built-in workouts, they are not near the programming standards of treadmills made by say Icon or Johnson. Dyaco, the same company that produces Sole and Spirit, produces the Xterra brand. Though they have maintained the quality build that their other brands are known for, they tend to pale in comparison to other brands in the technology department. Likewise, the TRX 4500 has a solid build and valuable warranty but the built-in workout programs are not near the quality of the other brands' treadmills.

The overall build is certainly a good trait for the TRX 4500. We like to look at three features to help us decide whether or not a treadmill has a good build: the horsepower/motor capacity, the weight capacity, and the unit weight. Since treadmill companies are not required to test their motors and weight capacities with a standard testing method, some companies can make their treadmills appear stronger with arbitrary testing methods. Therefore, you have to also take into account a treadmill’s weight in order to figure out if the motor and weight capacity are actually reasonable numbers. For example, if you saw a treadmill that claimed to reach 3.0 mph with a 400lb weight capacity even though it only weighed 100lbs, then you would know that the manufacturer is blowing smoke up your butt. But when you see Xterra advertising the 220lb TRX 4500 treadmill’s 3.25 horsepower motor and 350lb weight capacity, you can know that Xterra is more than likely advertising accurate statistics.

While this is a relatively strong build, the TRX 4500 treadmill does not have the strongest build among other treadmills in this price range. Thus, we were not able to range the TRX 4500 treadmill as high because there are other treadmills that offer stronger builds at the same price.

Additionally, one thing that helps the TRX 4500 stand out is the five-year deck warranty. While other warranties with other companies may include the deck in their frame or parts warranties, it is nice to see that Xterra would specify and add value to the deck along with the other parts of the treadmill.

The other feature that stands out is the fifteen percent incline capacity. The standard incline range for treadmills in this range averages out at twelve percent. With the incline ability, warranty, and build, one can see that Xterra intended the TRX 4500 treadmill to be a more heavy-duty, utility-based treadmill. You do not receive the expensive electronics that other brands offer. But the TRX 4500 treadmill does offer one of the more durable structures for this price range.

History

In the past, we have not loved the TRX 4500's programming as much as other treadmills in this price range. Even so, the actual utility of this treadmill has proved to stand up well in the past. Accordingly, the Xterra TRX 4500 was our 2019 and 2020 Best Buy Runner-Up in the $700 to $999.

Conclusion

Overall, we do not value the TRX 4500's programming as much as other treadmills in this price range. Nonetheless, the actual utility of this treadmill helps to make it a contender. The 2021 Best Buy First Place Winner in the $700 to $999 dollar range comes equipped with a decent build and valuable warranty. This treadmill is a reasonable contender for the light to moderate user.