Nautilus has designed cross-fit trainers for gyms for many years and has used this expertise to create the E616, one of the best elliptical machines for home workouts. The Nautilus E616 includes Bluetooth technology, connects with popular fitness apps and has enough workout presets to help you achieve fitness goals beyond basic weight loss.
This elliptical bike has a good stride length of 20 inches, which experts believe is a comfortable length for most users. This length isn’t adjustable, though, so individuals who are much taller or shorter may find the stride uncomfortable. It is one of the lightest models in our review, only weighing about 173 pounds.
However, this is in part because of the flywheel. The flywheel is only 16 pounds, which is significantly under the recommended weight of 20 pounds. Typically, the more the flywheel weighs, the smoother the motion while you exercise.
The Nautilus E616 includes a lot of high-tech features to help you monitor and record accurate exercise results. It has the ability to connect to popular fitness app MyFitnessPal, sharing your progress reports, heart rate and other fitness data. This makes it easier to keep track of your progress and share the data with friends.
The heart rate monitors are located on the stationary handlebars of this elliptical machine. This is typical of an elliptical exercise machine. The Nautilus E616 is also capable of monitoring heart rates using a wireless chest strap; however, this type of monitor is not included with this model.
You can also wear one of the best fitness trackers to keep a better idea of how effective your workouts are. We'd recommend a Fitbit, as they are easy to use, or an Apple for in-depth heart rate monitoring 24/7. The latest discounts on the latter can be found in our best Amazon Prime Day Fitbit deals guide.
This elliptical machine has 29 preset workout programs. It has those that we specifically looked for and all the common programs, such as aerobic, calorie burn and cross-training. One rarer program that Nautilus includes is a manual one. In manual mode, you can work out without having to first select a program or even turn on the console. You can warm up, cool down, and go as fast and as long as you’d like without being accountable to a specific program. This is different from quick-start programs that still require you to set up the console program and bypass the warm-up steps.
Another program on this elliptical is the target heart rate. Each program and fitness goal requires you to maintain a specific heart rate based on your weight, height and exercise goal. The target heart rate program adjusts resistance levels to help keep you within your target heart rate for your body type and chosen exercise program.
The Nautilus E616 has a custom program option too. You can create your own workout preset and save it for later. You can also create custom presets under your individual profile that can’t be shared and are specific to your own fitness goals.
The Nautilus E616 has all of the built-in accessories we looked for while reviewing elliptical cross-trainers. It has both a book and tablet holder. The Bluetooth speakers let you sync your music device to the console and listen while you work out. It also includes a personal cooling fan to help you stay comfortable while exercising, and the extra-large holder below the console is divided and large enough to hold both a water bottle and the TV remote.
The Nautilus website has a FAQs section, but it focuses on questions about the product warranty. You will have to ask any other questions via email or telephone support. You may be able to find some answers in the user manuals that are accessible through the Nautilus website.
The parts warranty is more than most ellipticals offer – two years. However, both the labor warranty and the frame warranty are much shorter than those of comparable models. The Nautilus E616 has a frame warranty of 10 years, whereas most other ellipticals provide a lifetime frame warranty. Similarly, where its competitors offer a full-year labor warranty, Nautilus only has one for 90 days.
The Nautilus E616 is a versatile machine that lets you easily create workout programs and save them for four different users. The 29 workout presets include uncommon programs, such as manual, target heart rate and custom ones. The top-notch technical and monitoring features, such as its compatibility with MyFitnessPal, make it one of the best ellipticals for a variety of goals.
