NordicTrack Elite 12.7 Elliptical Review (2024)

Quick Summary

What’s “elite” about the NordicTrack Elite 12.7? On sale for $1,499 this home elliptical isn’t priced too exclusively, yet it almost feels club-quality. Like other NordicTrack ellipticals it’s also optimized for the iFit Coach personal training app, so you can exercise with an unlimited selection of training programs on demand. Overall with the Elite 12.7 Elliptical machinery and iFit Coach, you can get comfortable low-impact exercise with pro coaching anytime! Specifications for this model are detailed below.

Specifications

Model	NordicTrack Elite 12.7
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	89.5%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$1,599
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.	$1,599
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	26 Levels
Resistance Type The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.	Silent Magnetic Resistance
Stride Length Stride Length is important for comfort and smooth strides. A stride length of 18-21 inches is ideal for most heights (5'3 - 6'7).	20"-21"
Pedals Elliptical pedals can be cushioned and adjustable for maximum comfort and minimum impact on joints for injury prevention.	Adjustable & Oversized
Incline Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.	0-20%
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	32 lbs.
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	35
User Profiles For each profile the elliptical allows, you can create a custom user account with saved programs and goal settings.	1 User
Heart Rate Heart Rate programs allow you to track how many times your heart is beating per minute (bpm), and some control the workout for you.	CardioGrip™
Display Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.	7" web-enabled color touchscreen
Max. Weight Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	375 lbs
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this elliptical will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	80.25" x 25.7" x 64.43"
Upper Body Most ellipticals have handles to hold while you're working out that provide an upper body workout.
Accessory Tray Some ellipticals include an accessory tray for holding items such as water bottles, wallets, keys, or MP3 players like iPods.
Speakers Ellipticals that include a sound system allow you to listen to your MP3 player/iPod through built-in speakers (without headphones).
Cooling Fans Cooling Fans are designed to help keep you cool during an intense workout on your elliptical.
Folding? Some ellipticals are designed to conserve space by folding up. This is a convenient option, but some features might be reduced.
Quick Controls Quick Controls allow you to select speed, incline and even workout programs with the touch of a button (usually on the handles).
Warranty The warranty is an important part of your investment. The longer the warranty, the longer you can get free/discounted repairs.	Frame: Lifetime Parts: 5 Years Labor: 2 Years

Our Rating

Rating: 89.5/100. Want extra motivation to exercise? The well-built NordicTrack Elite 12.7 can inspire almost anyone to follow through on fitness resolutions. This $1,499 elliptical not only feels great to use, but also helps make workout time fun! It has a 7” HD touchscreen with wifi connection for downloading new training programs from iFit Coach anytime. It provides customized daily exercise suggestions too. With iFit Coach the program choices include standard elliptical workout routines, scenic “virtual hike” videos with personal trainers, and Google Maps workouts with adaptive street views.

The iFit Coach team excels at suggesting virtual outdoor workouts that fit your specific goals, such as running five miles or burning 200 calories. By following an iFit Coach elliptical workout series such as “Bucket List Destinations,” which has ten programs, you can reach your fitness goals with especially great efficiency. Each exercise session can feel unique instead of “routine,” and you’ll enjoy virtually touring the world as you tone your whole body!

Additionally 35 traditional-style training programs are programmed directly to the console computer. These are grouped by workout goal and style.

Just like a commercial elliptical, the NordicTrack Elite 12.7 is a good match for virtually any body size and skill level. Stride settings range from 18 to 20 inches to fit most adults’ natural gaits, and the weight capacity is 375 pounds. The machine not only offers challenge with 26 digital resistance levels, but also with incline up to 20 degrees… so this crosstrainer won’t be outgrown as you become stronger.

Here are pros and cons for shoppers to consider.

Pros:

7″ HD touchscreen
Enabled for iFit Coach workouts (Membership required)
35 preset workout programs designed by certified personal trainers
Web browser
Tablet computer holder with adjustable angle
Power-adjustable stride, 18″ to 20″
32-pound flywheel
26 resistance levels
Automated incline, zero to 20 degrees
Resistance and incline controls on handlebars
Moving arm bars with soft multi-grips
Wireless heart rate monitor (Chest strap included)
Water bottle holder
AutoBreeze™ workout fan
Transport wheels
Five-year parts warranty
Two-year labor warranty

Cons:

Not compact or foldable for storage
iFit Coach membership sold separately
Above-average wait times for customer service

Introduction

A best buy elliptical for home use, the NordicTrack Elite 12.7 elliptical with iFit Coach membership has the ergonomics, power and workout programming to please almost anyone. It has a front drive design to control cost and size, yet it supports ultra-smooth striding like a classic health club crosstrainer. Key performance features are an adjustable 18” to 20” footpath, incline settings up to 20 percent, a 32-pound effective flywheel with 26 resistance settings, and moving arm bars that allow multiple grip positions. For workout guidance the 7” touchscreen can connect you with iFit Coach for adaptive personal training. Below are details about the workout options, machine parts and standard warranty.

Workout Programs

The NordicTrack Elite 12.7 is sold with two sources for workouts. Programmed into the console are 35 preset workouts, and for 2019 the elliptical is sold with an optional one-year subscription to the iFit Coach app. (You can also add a monthly or annual subscription later.) The biggest benefit of iFit Coach is that with WiFi you can download a new and customized workout program to your elliptical machine anytime. Besides that, iFit Coach is an all-in-one personal training app. It lets you access a large library of non-elliptical workout videos anytime. (Take yoga classes anywhere you have wifi, for example.) iFit Coach also has features for calorie management, daily step counting, meal planning and other aspects of personal training.

For elliptical exercise iFit Coach can deliver literally unlimited program variety. Our favorite feature is Google Maps integration: Using the Google Maps “street view” function with the Elite 12.7, you can virtually hike any combination of streets that the Google crew has filmed. iFit Coach personal trainers have identified thousands of map routes that are visually interesting and meet specific workout goals. These are organized by intensity level, so you can start with short distances and small elevation changes, then work your way up. You can also draw your own Google Maps route for the 12.7 elliptical anytime. Also with iFit Coach, you can create basic workouts with a click-and-drag tool that adjusts the machine’s speed for preset time periods.

As for the 35 built-in elliptical workout programs, each was designed by a certified personal trainer to control the Elite 12.7 pedal resistance and incline. These quick-start routines fall into four categories: Incline, Calorie, Speed and Heart Rate Control. Heart rate control workouts help you exercise at a constant exertion level as measure by your heart rate. A wireless chest strap is included.

NordicTrack Elite 12.7 Features

The NordicTrack Elite 12.7 elliptical has power-adjustable stride choices from 18 to 20 inches. Along with adjustable pedal angle, this feature helps just about anyone train with a natural-feeling gait. On lower quality front drive ellipticals, in comparison, this is rarely the case.

The flywheel can provide up to 32 pounds of resistance, similar to health club ellipticals. With 26 resistance levels the Elite 12.7 is a great match for all desired workout intensities.

Power incline settings can reach a dramatic 20 degrees. Incline training is a favorite crosstraining option, as it lets you target different lower-body muscle groups while burning calories even more quickly than at zero degrees.

The handlebars move to support low-impact exercise for the whole body. These are cushioned for comfort, and they allow multiple grip positions. With multiple grip positions you can exercise with different poses to work your upper-body muscles in different ways.

The highlight of the console is its 7″ HD touchscreen for workouts and browsing the web. With an iPod jack and speakers included, the console also serves as an audio entertainment center.

An adjustable-angle holder is provided for your mobile device.

For heart rate monitoring NordicTrack ships the Elite 12.7 with a wireless chest strap. The elliptical machine also has grip heart rate sensors on the handlebars.

To help you keep cool and hydrated, this fitness machine has a built-in fan that adjusts to your pace, and an integrated water bottle holder within easy reach.

Warranty & Guarantee

The NordicTrack Elite 12.7 Elliptical warranty includes these buyer protections:

– Frame: Lifetime

– Parts: 5 Years

– Labor: 2 Years

The manufacturer also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Conclusion

On sale for $1,299 the NordicTrack Elite 12.9 is a best buy elliptical for many shoppers. It’s the complete package with high quality basics, modern tech for training and entertainment, and a long warranty.