NordicTrack EXP 14i Review

Although many treadmills give you incline training capability these days, decline capability is still pretty rare, especially on lower priced machines. The EXP 14i, just like the EXP 10i, gives you 12% incline and 3% decline.

As such you can do hill training up as well as down, ramping up your cardio and targeting muscle groups that you can’t typically hit with incline alone. This adds another dimension to your workouts.

(Note that with the iFit program mentioned below, the incline and speed are automatically adjusted depending on what kind of workouts you choose)

Workout diversity is important as it keeps you motivated to reach your fitness goals. All NordicTrack treadmills, as well as those from its sister company ProForm, come with iFit, an immersive interactive program giving you access to an ever-growing library of workouts on and off the machine, professional trainers, Google maps so you can choose destinations across the world, tracking, sharing, challenges and a whole lot more.

The company often gives you a free month to try it out, but after that it’s a small monthly or yearly fee to continue the program, and it’s well worth it in our opinion given all that it gives you. You can read more about the iFit program and prices here.)

You can just use the built in workouts, but iFit is great as you can choose a different workout/trainer every day if you want, and destinations that make you feel like you’re actually there running.

Another hallmark of the NordicTrack treadmills is their touch screen displays. As of 2022 every treadmill has one, a rarity and something their competitors still don’t. As you move up in the series the screens get larger.

The entry level EXP 7i has a 7″ touch screen, the mid-level EXP 10i has a 10″ screen and the EXP 14i…yes you guessed it, 14″!

Touch screens bring your workouts to life, and you can follow along with your iFit workouts and see all of your stats just like in the health club, instead of using your tablet like you have to do with some other treadmills.

One of the newest features, ActivePulse keeps you in your target heart zone, which helps you get the most out of your workouts. You do need to get a heart rate monitor, which isn’t included, and all you have to do is wear it while you train. When you reach your ideal zone, you get an alert, and you can try to stay there during your routine to maximize your results.

In addition to the incline and decline training, large touch screen display, endless workout possibilities and heart rate monitoring, you get a large 20″ x 60″ cushioned deck, easy folding design, strong 3.5 HP motor, workout fan, tray/device shelf, one touch controls and a number of other nice touches.

With all of the great features and capabilities that the NordicTrack EXP 14i offers, we wish that the warranties were a little more extensive. It comes with 10 years on the frame, 2 years on parts and 1 year on labor.

Although this isn’t necessarily bad, some of their competitors have stronger warranties, even on their lower priced treadmills.

Hopefully this won’t be an issue as these treadmills are built stronger than previous models..but we’d still like to see stronger warranties in the future.

Since the X14i is the top model in the EXP series, it would be nice if the heart rate monitor was included with the purchase. Not a deal breaker, but would be a welcome bonus on top of the larger touch screen that it offers.

If you’re in the market for an affordable home treadmill, the NordicTrack EXP 14i is definitely worth considering. It’s jam packed with features, from the large touch screen, expansive well-cushioned deck, iFit workouts, incline, decline, heart rate monitoring and a whole lot more.

For those trying to save a little money, take a look at the EXP 7i and EXP 10i as well, both of which are a few hundred less than the EXP 14i.

For those who are more serious, and want something a bit more advanced, look at the Commercial 1750 and the rest of that series. That is one of the company’s top sellers, and it gives you a bit more incline, larger deck, tilt & pivot console and a few additional upgrades.

But if the EXP 14i is in your price range then by all means go for it…you won’t be disappointed with all that it has to offer.