Interesting. Runner’s World used to review treadmills every year. The last one I can find on the web is December '02, in which they rated a NordicTrack second overall (after a TRue model). Below is what they said about the NT. Maybe things have changed since then (BTW, ours was much less than $3500).
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-52-72-0-4058,00.html
Bottom Line: The 8600 is built like a tank, with a massive display console
and the heaviest frame of any treadmill we tested. This makes it very stable,
but some testers felt it was large for home use. The control buttons are large
and easy to use, including a row of “one-touch” speed buttons that take you
directly to your selected speed. A unique “i-Fit” feature lets you run interactive
workouts from CDs and videos.
**TREADMILL** **CUSHIONING**
STABILITY CONTROLS DISPLAY OVERALL True, $3,795 7.4 8.3 7.8 8.1 8.1 NordicTrack, $3,500 7.5 8.7 7.0 7.2 7.6 Precor, $3,500 7.1 7.9 7.4 6.5 7.3 Cybex, $4,995 7.0 8.1 6.6 7.0 7.1 Life Fitness, $3,500 7.4 7.5 6.4 6.4 7.0 Landice, $4,495 6.5 7.7 7.1 6.8 6.9 PaceMaster, $2,200 6.7 7.3 6.5 6.6 6.8 Vision Fitness, $3,000 5.8 7.5 6.8 7.3 6.7 Smooth, $3,000 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.5 6.4 Spirit, $2,495 6.0 7.8 5.5 5.2 5.8 SportsArt, $2,300 6.2 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.2 Bodyguard, $2,495 5.3 5.2 4.3 4.4 4.8