ProForm City L6 Review: Inexpensive Compact Treadmill with iFit Workouts

Overview of Proform City L6 Treadmill

The Proform City L6 Treadmill is an affordable, entry-level treadmill designed for individuals who want to jumpstart their fitness journey or continue their routine from the comfort of their homes. It gives users good value for its price range by offering a range of smart features that make it ideal for low intensity training and keeping you motivated to lose weight. Its compact size and folding deck make it easy to store, while its max user weight of 250 pounds and 8 mph speed provides suitability for people of most sizes who enjoy walking or light jogging. The 5-inch high-contrast display and integrated tablet holder allow users to track their progress and have an optimized hands-free workout experience. It’s one of the only low cost treadmills with premium iFit software capability to access virtual coaching classes that can tailor training plans to your fitness level and automatically adjust settings while you workout. However, the L6 finds itself in a tricky place attempting to be the go-to choice for budget-conscious buyers while charging for a rather expensive membership after a free trial.

ProForm City L6 Treadmill Specifications

Material	Alloy Steel
Item Weight	125 lbs
Motor Horsepower	1.6 HP
Speed Rating	0-8 mph
Dimensions	‎70.25″L x 29″W x 44.5″H
Running Path	17.5″ W x 45″ L
Maximum User Weight	250 lbs
Incline	None

Design and Build

The ProForm City L6 treadmill is built with an alloy steel folding frame. Its clean black paint finish and wide console panel gives off a contemporary look which, in my opinion, is only matched by a few alternatives such as the WalkingPad R2. The handrails are situated at the front. As someone accustomed to holding rails on the side when needed, it felt less safe when I occasionally lost balance. But if you are just starting out or like to walk this won’t affect you. Plus, rails on the front make the treadmill less intrusive, helps with folding, and removes the need for assembly.

Compact Size and Foldable Design

One of the main strengths of the City L6 model is the compact size. The folding capacity of this treadmill is a standout feature because the rails fold down into the deck. As long as you have 11”+ of height under a bed and other furniture it slides away for easy storage. Unfortunately, the front of the deck containing the motor elevates to 10 inches so it’s not the most friendly for tight spaces.

The 125 lbs in box weight isn’t too much of a challenge to move around and the treadmill can be used on upper floors. It’s basically assembled as a whole unit out the box, which means you can’t disassemble everything to lighten the load. This isn’t a problem once the delivery is on the right floor level because you can easily wheel it to wherever you want but initially lighting the boxed product may require an extra person if you are small.

Deck and Belt Size

The L6 treadmill is more suitable for people up to 5’,9” because the 2-ply tread belt is quite short. The running path is 17.5” x 45” which is more than enough for walking but doesn’t provide sufficient room for tall users who take long strides when running. We recommend an extra 10” of runway as a safety precaution for high speed training. In this case, Sole treadmills might be more up your street.

Additionally, the side rails of the Proform City L6 Treadmill are a little narrow, measuring 3.5″ in width. While this width is enough for most users, they should be careful where they place their feet to avoid stepping off the side. Still, these were appreciated for taking quick rests, especially given that many treadmills for walking do not have any.

The deck uses ProShox™ Cushioning which is firm but comfortable. The shock absorption system took stress off my joints. ProForm used the same technology as their more premium Carbon series treadmills so you still get good quality. I was able to enjoy 30 minute walks with occasional jogging intervals without any leg problems.

2 front-mounted wheels are included under the deck for portability.

Weight Capacity

The L6 has a weight capacity of 250 lbs so it’s suitable for most people but keep in mind that compact treadmills like this lose some of their sturdiness and endure more damage that lessens the lifespan. The max weight capacity to avoid potential issues is around 200 lbs. Some of the best treadmills for a heavy person are heavy duty, commercial style.

High-Contrast Display with Simple Touch Controls

The Proform City L6 Treadmill comes with a basic LCD display that has a high-contrast design for easy readability. The display provides users with essential workout stats, including time, distance, and estimated calories burned. For those who want more in-depth metrics, the display is iFit compatible, allowing users to access personalized workout plans, track workouts and measure progress, and access a library of studio workout classes.

One of the standout features of the Proform City L6 Treadmill’s display is its simple touch controls. The controls are intuitive and easy to use, providing a hassle-free workout experience. With the quick speed control buttons, users can quickly adjust their pace with the touch of a button, making it easy to optimize their workout progress and save time.

It helps make it one of the most optimized and convenient entry-level treadmills in the market.

Performance and Programs

The Proform City L6 Treadmill aims to deliver a quality workout experience for light exercise without the ‘nice to haves’ seen on mid-range models. When tested it was a smooth operator at speeds up to 6 mph so is ideal for walkers who want to push their limits. But this isn’t a high spec treadmill and not built to withstand frequent usage from any serious runner unless you want to run into problems later down the road. The iFit workouts are not to be underestimated. While plenty of people like to customize workouts and bypass such programs, we find the classes to be the biggest differentiator among competition. If you have trouble getting into a regular fitness routine, the chances of giving up are significantly lower using the City L6.

Maximum Speed, Incline and Decline Settings

The max speed on the City L6 is 8 mph. This is powered by a 1.6 HP Mach Z motor, which is efficient but weak in power. Hence, walking is the best option on this treadmill to prevent the motor from overheating and damaging other parts over time. Light jogging up to 6 mph is also appropriate as long as you’re under 200 lbs, otherwise you might see performance being affected. A few negative reviews have mentioned judders but we did not experience this.

Despite the low horsepower, the L6 is pretty quiet up to 5 mph, and even then the noise isn’t too intrusive. Some of the foot noise is soaked up by the deck’s cushioning.

There isn’t any incline or decline on the L6, which partially justifies the motor size. Larger motors are required to deal with the increased demands of high speed and sloped workouts. An absence of incline may be an issue if you’re training for hikes or want to speed up weight loss fitness goals without needing to run fast.

ifit Workouts for Optimized Results

The iFit program is compatible with the City L6 unit through the use of a simple touch control interface. iFit provides users with celebrity coaches that offer studio workout classes. This means that users can access the expertise of personal trainers for their workout sessions, without the need to leave their living space.

The good news is that the thousands of classes keep your workout routine fresh and motivates you to exercise on a regular basis. This is really important because consistency is the deciding factor for weight loss and cardiovascular health. In that sense the software helps you get bang for your buck.

The bad news is that after a 30-day trial you need to pay $30 per month to access premium content, which is most of it. Not only that but you don’t have a touchscreen display to make the most of what it has to offer. While you can use Bluetooth and connect your phone or tablet, the touchscreens on the other models provide an integrated experience so your treadmill settings change automatically throughout the workout. Not only that but because the L6 is designed for flat low intensity exercise you don’t get to experience the auto incline and high speed interval training available on other ProForm models or NordicTrack treadmills. So if iFit is a major selling point you are better off upgrading.

Tracking progress is an essential part of understanding your ability to plan new workouts to continue increasing fitness levels. The iFit app is useful for easily accessing your historical performance data from any smart device such as average speed, distance, steps, duration and calorie burn.

Console

The ProForm City L6 folding treadmill console is so simple and easy to use. It comes with QuickTouch buttons that let you jump between speeds 1 to 8 mph. The speed change is very responsive which gives it an advantage over similar competitors for interval training. However, you can also change in smaller 0.1 mph increments to make sure you don’t lose control of your pace when transitioning between speeds. Other buttons such as fast forward and +/- help you navigate your listening experience through BlueTooth connectivity. And of course, there is an emergency stop and the LCD display mentioned earlier. iFit isn’t mandatory you can use your membership and cancel or bypass subscription upon setup. At the top of the console is a tablet holder for your devices should you want to keep yourself entertained or make the most of the workouts.

Price and Warranty

Around the $599 range is considered budget-friendly for treadmills. There are some very clunky options at this price so the quality of the L6 isn’t bad at the price point. It’s great if you want something compact that still looks great and will motivate you to hit your fitness goals. But it’s certainly not the best value for money. For example, you’ll find better specs on the Xterra Fitness TR150 if you’re performance-focused. 

As a short to medium term investment, the City L6 covers you with a 10-year Frame Warranty, and 1-Year Parts & Labor Warranty.