Saucony Peregrine 16 Review: Gaining Traction While Staying in Place

Introduction to the Saucony Peregrine 15

SAM: I was ride-or-die with last year’s Saucony Peregrine 15. In a world of flashy trail shoes packed with new tech, a stalwart like the Peregrine doesn’t get much attention. With enough iterations to be considered middle-aged for a running shoe, the Peregrine often feels like that jacket you’ve had since high school and can’t bring yourself to throw away. It’s always comfortable and reliable, but you’re not going to wear it for anything you’re excited about. 

However, last year’s model checked nearly every box for my ideal trail shoe. It had a secure fit with a roomy toe box that still felt nimble and aggressive, and it felt light and peppy underfoot despite what was ultimately an unremarkable weight. The Peregrine 15 was simply fun, and it was a comparatively affordable shoe that made you want to rip over any terrain. I’ve returned to it again and again since its release.

Now here we are in the first month of 2026, as Saucony is prepped to drop a whole new Peregrine update. This bird is fully reworked, with a whole new upper featuring beefed up toe and heel protection, more PWRRUN foam underfoot, and a full-length Vibram Megagrip soleplate. That last update is especially notable to the Peregrine falconers who are reading this– Vibram outsole is replacing Saucony’s PWRTRAC rubber outsole after almost 15 years of the Peregrine. This update is long overdue; anyone who’s done a little slippery dance in Saucony shoes on a wet boardwalk like they were the cast of Parks and Rec on the ice in the season 4 episode “The Comeback Kid” knows how big a deal this is. Equipped with talons like these, and with the undersung Peregrine 15 preceding it, there’s no reason why the Peregrine 16 shouldn’t be a perfect trail shoe.

But we all know that there’s a downside to finding a running shoe you love: once a year or two has ticked by, any successful shoe is going to get an update. The hope is always that the shoe company gods are benevolent and what’s good about the shoe sticks around despite new mesh or foams or soleplates. That’s not always the case. Saucony had me in their corner with the Peregrine 15, and I was excited to see what PWRRUN and Vibram could do together.

They did some things, but maybe not as much as I would have liked. Let’s find out why.

ALLISON:  After catching a glimpse of the Saucony Peregrine 16 redesign, I– like Sam– was immediately excited to see what Saucony had up their sleeve… or maybe up their pant leg. The updates signaled something different, something bolder. And once I saw Vibram right out of the gate, my excitement jumped a few notches.

The Peregrine has always been a dependable trail workhorse, but this iteration hinted at a more aggressive, refined direction. From first impressions alone, it felt like Saucony wasn’t just tweaking a classic. They were rethinking it, and that made lacing up the Peregrine 16 feel like stepping into something entirely new.

What we like about the Saucony Peregrine 16

SAM: This update of the Peregrine has all the goodies from the Peregrine 15– the durable and comfortable upper, the PWRRUN midsole and PWRRUN+ insole, the aggressive but comfortable fit– and it adds in a little more PWRRUN foam and a Vibram soleplate. That alone should make this a successful shoe. The good news is that it does. The Peregrine 16 does everything it needs to to continue the legacy of the Peregrine line. 

The upper mesh is similar to what we found in the previous model, but here the protective overlays are a little more judiciously placed. As much as I loved the Peregrine 15, I did feel like the upper was half plastic. In the 16 the toe guard is thicker, and rises higher medially and laterally, but the protection of the sides is more sparse. An oversized Saucony logo provides most of the coverage, but allows for plenty of breathability.

The fit and lockdown in the Peregrine 16 are still excellent, with a caveat that I’ll dive into in the next section. I’ve always loved the Peregrine for its sleek, aggressive fit, and while this one is less perfect than the past few models, it still feels like a technical charger underfoot. The structure around the midfoot holds your foot securely and comfortably and boosts confidence on all surfaces. 

That confidence is only enhanced by the PWRRUN foam and Vibram outsole underfoot. The foam is medium firm, but has that nice PWRRUN+ sockliner sitting on top for comfort and some water resistance. The star of the show here, however, is the Vibram MegaGrip soleplate. More and more companies are deploying this on their shoes, especially with Vibram’s proprietary Traction Lugs, and the Peregrine 16 is a perfect example as to why.

Those Traction Lugs are only 4 mm deep on the Peregrine 16, but the grip is out of this world. I had zero slippage on loose dirt, snow, roots, rocks, and yes, wet boardwalks. I’ve run in a lot of shoes with Vibram underfoot, but mixing it with the Peregrine’s already proven performance results in confidence in all conditions that is second-to-none.

ALLISON: What I really liked about the Saucony Peregrine 16 is how thoughtfully it balances updates without losing what has always made the shoe so reliable. The increased cushioning was immediately noticeable, yet somehow the shoe actually felt lighter and more nimble than the Peregrine 15. That combination makes it easier to log longer miles without sacrificing the quick, responsive feel that’s made the Peregrine a staple for so many runners.

The addition of Vibram grip is a true game changer. It elevates the shoe’s confidence across wet, loose, and variable terrain, transforming the Peregrine into something that feels far more capable and trustworthy underfoot. Whether climbing, descending, or navigating unpredictable trails, the traction inspires confidence in a way previous versions couldn’t quite match.

At $145, the Peregrine also stands out in today’s trail market. With prices creeping higher across the category, this feels like a genuinely strong value, especially for a shoe built to take a beating and last. Durability, performance, and versatility all come together here, making the Peregrine an easy go-to recommendation. It’s the kind of trail shoe that works for almost anyone, whether you’re new to the trails or looking for a dependable daily driver you can count on.

What we don’t like about the Saucony Peregrine 16

SAM: I alluded to this above, but the Peregrine 16 fits at least half a size to a size too big. The toe box on my test pair, in men’s size 10, fit wider and longer than what I find in a similarly sized Altra Lone Peak. For those of us who adore that slim and aggressive fit that is characteristic of the Peregrine, this is less than ideal. The sizing resulted in some lateral slippage in the ball of my foot and some torsion around my foot on more technical sections. Sizing down should alleviate some of this, but the midfoot and heel fit fine so I’m not totally sure it will be a solid solution. 

The other issue I had with the Peregrine 16 is that somewhere in these top-to-bottom updates it lost the spark from the last model. Maybe it’s the sizing, maybe it was the cold weather I was running in; but whatever the case, the shoe I loved from last year is now just a memory. The midsole feels flat and firm on the run. Sizing issues aside, this is a fast and capable shoe, but it never felt fast. It felt relatively run-of-the-mill, which I guess is a return to what the underfoot feel of the Peregrine series used to be. 

ALLISON:  What I didn’t like about the Peregrine is less about any glaring flaw and more about what it isn’t. I agree with Sam that the ride doesn’t feel especially poppy, but that’s not a new issue for me. I never found the previous version particularly energetic either, so this doesn’t feel like a step back, it’s just a continuation of the Peregrine being a very run-of-the-mill ride. It does its job well, but it doesn’t deliver that extra spark or sense of fun that some trail shoes manage to inject into the experience.

My main lingering complaint, which carried over from the Peregrine 15 to the 16, is the colorway. I’m still genuinely curious who signs off on these color choices. While I understand that the look blends in seamlessly with the broader Saucony lineup, it just doesn’t work for me personally. The design feels safe and for a shoe that performs as well as this one does, I’d love to see something a little more inspired. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s one area where the Peregrine continues to miss an opportunity to stand out.

Final thoughts on the SAUCONY PEREGRINE 16

SAM: Some shoe updates save the magic of a good pair of shoes, and some seem to abandon all that we loved in the name of progress. But there is a third kind of update: the one with tradeoffs. The Saucony Peregrine 16 falls into that category. This is still the technical grinder that we know and love. With Vibram slapped on the bottom, it is even functionally better than its predecessors. Sizing issues aside, this shoe is perfectly in line with all the Peregrine models up to 14, and will absolutely rip up any trail you can throw at it.

However, the magic conjured by the mixture of foam, soleplate, and upper in the Peregrine 15 is gone here. This is a shoe that does exactly what it’s supposed to, but feels lesser because the model before it was such a blast to run in. 

But, if you want more grip that you could ever want and a wide toebox, the Saucony Peregrine 16 is very worth the money at $145. Without sizing down it’s comparable to the Altra Lone Peak 9+, and if you were to size down I’d imagine it would have the Topo Athletic Terraventure 5 and the Brooks Cascadia 19 as analogues. If you ask me, trading magic for grip is uninspiring, and you can buy the Peregrine 15 on sale right now.

ALLISON: The Saucony Peregrine remains a reliable, durable trail shoe with meaningful upgrades like Vibram outsole and improved cushioning, even if the ride itself feels more workmanlike than exciting. It’s a dependable go-to for a wide range of runners, but between the lack of pop and color choices, it doesn’t quite stand out the way it could.

You can pick up the Saucony Peregrine 16 for $145 on from Running Warehouse (featuring free shipping and 90-day returns) by using the buttons below.