Reviews New Balance Coco CG2

No lifespan in hours has been published. On our grid, the Coco CG2 scores 7.4/10 for durability, the best score of the three New Balance shoes in our database.

The outsole is made of NDurance rubber, the one the brand uses on its tennis shoes, with a new hexagonal pattern in place of the classic herringbone. In their Coco CG2 review, Tennis Warehouse's testers say they were impressed by its durability. That is an on-court observation, not a measurement: I have found no published abrasion figure for this model.

No pair is judged without the lifespan of its outsole. That of the Coco CG2 puts it in the middle of the table. Fourteen models out of 37 do better, and three are level with it: the Asics Court FF 3, the Wilson Rush Pro 5 and the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 7.

The gap to the hard-wearing Nikes is clear. The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 is at 8.6/10, the Nike GP Challenge Pro at 8.2. A player who wears through her outsoles on hard courts in three months is not the Coco CG2's customer.

For everyone else, the rubber will not be the first thing to give way. The AAPSM, the American academy of podiatric sports medicine, puts the wear of a midsole at between 45 and 60 hours of tennis. At three hours a week, that makes 15 to 20 weeks. On a shoe whose selling point is the foam, that is the clock that counts.

That leaves the warranty. Tennis Warehouse covers the outsole for 6 months, for a purchase from its own store, and nothing confirms that it applies in Belgium. The article on the 6-month outsole warranty details the conditions.

It scores 8.0/10 on our grid, level with the New Balance Fresh Foam X CT-Rally v2 and the On THE ROGER Pro Fire. Twenty-three models in our database do better, which leaves it outside our overall ranking.

Its profile leans one way. Comfort leads at 8.6/10: only six models do better, with the Nike GP Challenge 1.5 on top at 9.4. Grip follows at 8.2, stability at 8.0, lightness at 7.6, durability at 7.4.

The construction explains these scores. The midsole combines a FuelCell foam in two densities with a carbon plate, the Energy Arc. The upper is mid-cut, with a collar that rises around the ankle. The RunRepeat page and the Tennis Warehouse review single out support and cushioning as its strengths.

The downside is written in the same review: the shoe is bulky, and rather heavy for its segment. It weighs around 354 g in women's US 8.5.

That figure needs a reference point. The Asics Gel-Resolution X weighs around 382 g in the same women's size, according to Tennis Companion. So the Coco CG2 is heavy for a comfort shoe, not for a stability shoe.

Three figures are missing: the weight of the men's model, the drop and the release year.

My view: it is a good comfort shoe, an expensive one, and part of the price is a name. A player who likes that high hold around the ankle has no direct equivalent in our database. The others have better-rated options for less.

The New Balance page sets it against the 996v6 and the CT-Rally v2.

For a competitive women's player who wants cushioning and a well-held foot, and who accepts a slightly bulky shoe.

The Coco CG2 is Coco Gauff's second signature shoe at New Balance. Tennis Warehouse lists it mainly as a women's model, and the three product pages recorded in Belgium are women's models. For men, the weight and the widths are not disclosed in the sources consulted. If you are looking for a men's size, check the retailer's page first.

A women's model is not a smaller men's model. Women's shoes are built on their own last, with a narrower heel and a lower instep, which limits heel slip, explains Victor's guide to shoe lasts. That is an argument for a shoe designed first for a woman player.

The playing profile is that of a baseline player who changes direction often. The carbon plate stiffens the midfoot, the mid-cut upper wraps the ankle, stability is at 8.0/10. Twenty-one models do better on that last criterion, including the Nike GP Challenge 1.5 at 9.0.

Two profiles will find better elsewhere. The quick player who comes to the net: 7.6/10 for lightness, fifteen models ahead. And the player who wears out outsoles fast, for whom a rubber at 8.6/10 changes the season's budget.

For a fragile ankle or an established pain, a physiotherapist or a podiatrist remains the right person to ask. A higher upper is not a brace.

The guide for seniors ranks comfort models by cushioning and support.

Your usual size, choosing the width before the length. The Coco CG2 comes in two women's widths, B and D.

B is the standard width of a women's shoe, D is the wide version. That is a rare asset: most models in our database exist in only one width. At New Balance, the FuelCell 996v6 and the CT-Rally v2 go up to 2E in men's. The Coco CG2 extends that habit of the brand to the women's side.

For length, the rule does not depend on the model. Leave about a thumb's width, or 0.9 to 1.3 cm, between your longest toe and the end of the shoe, advises Vionic. Try shoes on at the end of the day, when the foot has swollen, and with your tennis socks.

The mid-cut upper changes one detail when you try it on. The collar rises higher than on a low shoe: lace it all the way up and take a few side steps before judging. A collar that rubs on the ankle bone in the shop will rub more in the third set.

Sizes vary from one brand to another. If you are coming from a Nike or an Asics, do not carry your size over without looking at New Balance's size guide, width included.

One practical point for Belgium. The three product pages recorded, at Tennis-Point, Passasports and TennisDirect, do not guarantee that both widths are in stock in every size. Check the width stated on the page, and the retailer's returns policy.

The guide for wide feet compares the widths offered by each brand.

The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 if you compare scores, the Nike GP Challenge Pro if you compare prices. The Coco CG2 keeps its mid-cut upper and its two widths.

The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 is the most comfortable shoe in our database: 9.4/10, against 8.6 for the Coco CG2. It scores 9.1 overall, 9.0 for stability, 8.6 for durability, 9.0 for grip. Only lightness is level, 7.6 on both sides. It costs around €125 as the average price recorded in Belgium, which is €38 less.

The Nike GP Challenge Pro plays on budget. 8.8/10 overall, 8.8 for comfort, 8.6 for stability, 8.2 for durability, for around €97. RunRepeat measures a hard rubber, at 87.5 HC, that is dented by only 0.6 mm in the abrasion test. It does better than the Coco CG2 on all five criteria, for €66 less.

At Asics, the Gel-Resolution X scores 8.9/10 overall and 9.3 for stability, with 8.4 for comfort. It is heavier, around 382 g in women's US 8.5.

What is left for the New Balance? Three things the scores do not measure. An upper that rises over the ankle, with no equivalent among these three rivals. A D width in women's. And the link with Coco Gauff, which is as good a reason to buy as any, provided you know you are paying for it.

Before deciding, check that the Nike model you are interested in exists in a women's version in your size on nike.com/be.

The comparison tool lines these models up score by score, and the comfort ranking orders the best cushioning scores.

Around €163 as the average price recorded in Belgium between June and September 2026. In the United States, it is listed at $159.99. The official European price is not disclosed in the sources consulted.

The price that matters is the price per hour of play. On the basis of 45 to 60 hours before the cushioning wears out, a Coco CG2 at €163 works out at €2.70 to €3.60 per hour.

Two Nike reference points. A GP Challenge 1.5 at €125 works out at €2.10 to €2.80 per hour, a GP Challenge Pro at €97 at €1.60 to €2.15. The gap to the GP Challenge Pro, €66, is the price of a second entry-level pair.

On surfaces, the answer is short: all-court, and nothing else. The three product pages recorded at Tennis-Point, Passasports and TennisDirect are all-court versions. I have recorded no clay version.

That is a real limit here. More than eight Belgian courts in ten are clay according to the RTBF. An all-court outsole works there, but less well than an outsole with deep herringbone, which clears the clay and lets you slide, notes Tennis Companion. Nothing indicates how the hexagonal pattern behaves on clay either.

So the Coco CG2 is first of all a winter pair: under a dome or indoors on GreenSet, where the rubber does the work and the cushioning is felt. On carpet, it is not suitable: you need a completely smooth outsole.

The article on two pairs of tennis shoes in Belgium explains how to split the budget between summer and winter, and the one on cost per hour of play applies the calculation to nine models.