Hoka’s New Daily Sneaker Is Almost Too Technical for City Life

State-of-the-art midsole? Extra grippy outsole? Lightweight and breathable tongue? Check, check, triple check.

Published February 12, 2025

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Updated February 12, 2025

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Like an off-road-ready SUV or rugged tool watch, shoes, too, can fill that gap between the performance and lifestyle realms.

Few in recent memory have done so quite as confidently as Hoka’s upcoming Mafate Speed 4 Lite, which Hoka has deceptively categorized under its everyday umbrella like the commuter-oriented Transport model.

Ground control

Similar to last year’s release with the French running brand Satisfy, the new Mafate Speed 4 Lite treats the Mafate Speed 4 trail runner as a practical jumping off point.

That means it boasts plenty of technical chops, including Hoka’s responsive, EVA-based ProFly+ foam and a Vibram Megagrip outsole.

The bottom of the shoe also showcases Hoka’s Traction Lug technology, whereby so-called “micro lugs” add traction and stability on variable terrain.

Up, up and away

The Mafate Speed 4 Lite starts to separate itself further up the shoe, all the while staying true to Hoka’s well-established sandbox of materials and features.

Whereas the Mafate Speed 4 employed a woven jacquard mesh upper, the Mafate Speed 4 Lite showcases a transparent upper that gives it an urban edge without sacrificing any of its technical prowess.

In fact, the aforementioned Satisfy collab utilized the exact upper material, as well as a similar microfiber collar and lay-flat tongue, making the Mafate Speed 4 Lite a convincing dupe but without the secondhand price tag.

Pairs of the sold-out Mafate Speed 4 Lite Stsfy, for example, went for as much as $750 on sites like StockX.

brown hoka shoe — The Mafate Speed 4 Lite Stsfy featured speed lacing system — the only functional difference separating it from the Mafate Speed 4 Lite.

At face value, the only trade-off between the two pairs of shoes (beyond the cobranding, of course) is the lack of speed laces on the new Mafate Speed 4 Lite. That said, the shoe’s traditional laces may make it more accommodating to wider feet.