Best Home Elliptical Trainer

Home elliptical trainers have a small footprint

Elliptical trainers may be one of the best tools for a full-body cardio workout but are quite large, averaging more than 70 inches long and 30 inches wide. If your in-home workout area won't allow such dimensions, consider a home elliptical trainer that's either capable of folding or has a footprint of about 70 inches by 28 inches.

Our Best Reviewed home elliptical trainer, the NordicTrack E 15.0 (*Est. $1,500), has an impressive features list and tight footprint of only 65 inches by 25 inches. Other ellipticals come smaller but may lack important attributes. The Schwinn 431 (*Est. $700) is only 59 inches by 26 inches, but offers just 19 programs and 16 resistance levels compared to the E15's 36 programs and 28 resistance levels. Its incline and resistance can also be controlled via the handles, something shared by only a few models like the Smooth Agile DMT (*Est. $2200).

The E 15.0's most notable feature is the inclusion of a Google Android-powered tablet that works with iFit to provide a more realistic elliptical experience. The E15 will adjust its incline according to the virtual route mapped out by the user. The tablet is also web ready, making it easy to connect to local Wi-Fi and map routes with Google maps, check email, browse Facebook or even watch online video. Other Icon elliptical trainers like the NordicTrack AudioStrider 990 Pro (*Est. $900) are iFit compatible, but only the E 15.0 includes the tablet.

The The E 15.0 however not only inclines to 20 degrees, but also has the ability to declines to minus-10 degrees as well. Another innovative feature of the E15 elliptical trainer is the ability to decline. Most inclining ellipticals have a range of 15 to 30 degrees, such asincluding thePrecor EFX 5.31 (*Est. $3800)and Precor EFX 5.33 (*Est. $4,300). The Sole E95 (*Est. $1,600) can rise all the way from 0 to 40 degrees.

The NordicTrack E 15.0 weighs just above average at 235 pounds and can accommodate users up to 400 pounds. The lightest elliptical we cover (excluding the Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 (*Est. $90), 24 pounds) is the Nautilus E514 (*Est. $600) weighing 165 pounds. Our The heaviest reviewed elliptical, the Smooth Agile DMT (*Est. $2200), tips the scale at 356 pounds and also has a maximum user weight of 400 pounds.

The NordicTrack E15 provides more features and solid performance than any other elliptical trainer of similar dimensions.