It's not every day we see Saucony Originals come out with a brand new hybrid model, but this season they've bucked that trend and introduced the GRID 8500. As some of you will work out from the title, it's a GRID 8000 and GRID 9000 hybrid, with the sole of the former and the upper of the latter. This White colourway is one of three debut iterations.
The upper is comprised of a host of different materials. At the teobox we have a very supple white leather, offset by a thick white mesh offering great breathability. Moving backwards to the forefoot, we see a neoprene base with Saucony's logo laying over the top again in a supple white leather, and the straps holiding the top two eyelets in place comes in a lightly perforated leather. Around the heel, we see a neoprene collar, back up with a tough reinforced leather around the top of the midsole, providing a secure fit. The midsole matches the upper nicely in white, and the only pop of colour on the shoe is the gum outsole.
Saucony's fabled GRID technology sits in the heel of the shoe, providing premium cushioning underfoot. The descending nature of the sole means your foot rolls off the ground when walking, these shoes certainly put a spring in your step. Finally, the outsole features a complex tread pattern, offering great traction on any surface.
We also have a host of other Saucony Originals styles, including the GRID 9000, GRID 8000, DXN Trainer, Shadow 6000, G9 Shadow and Jazz Original.