- Acura’s newest SUV comes up only a couple inches shorter than the RDX
- ADX small crossover is priced about $5,000 less than rivals such as the Lexus NX
- ADX uses a 190-hp 1.5-liter turbo-4 with a CVT and available all-wheel drive
I didn’t have many expectations for the new 2025 Acura ADX. Built off the Integra sedan but positioned like the Honda HR-V, how could yet another small crossover move the needle on my miserly tachocardiogram?
For its healthy size and relative value, the 2025 Acura ADX exceeds expectations. Add in planted handling, sharp steering, and overall impressive driving behavior, and Acura’s newest model surprises.
What it lacks in luxury appointments it makes up for in size, creeping into larger segments as is the Honda way. It’s the same length as the Integra at 185.8 inches, and it comes up less than two inches shorter than the Acura RDX. Yet it has the same 104.5-inch wheelbase as the Honda HR-V, so a lot of that length is in its long nose.
During a daybreak drive before heading up into the mountains beyond San Diego, with a slight drizzle slowing southern California roadways, I pulled over to examine its size. Four adults could fit easily, with plenty of headroom in both rows and nearly 38 inches of legroom in the rear. Fold down the 60:40-split rear seats and the cargo space expands from 24.4 to 55.1 cubic feet. There’s tons of room, good enough for four people and their gear to get away for a long weekend, or for a couple to knock out even the most ambitious honey-do list.
2025 Acura ADX tunes its turbo-4 to sport, despite CVT
The ADX doesn’t hide its Hondaness as well as premium makes from other brands, from its 9.0-inch touchscreen to its 1.5-liter turbo-4 and CVT. Yet it handles with more verve than the Lexus NX, Volvo XC40, and Lincoln Corsair, and it’s about $5,000 cheaper. The base ADX with front-wheel drive costs $36,350, with destination, and climbs to $45,350 for the top A-Spec with Advance Package that I tested in the drizzle, frost, fog, and sun of a lovely spring morning.
From a dead stop the 190-hp turbo-4 won’t launch ahead like more tightly wound turbo-4s that proliferate in this luxury segment. Flick the console toggle into Sport mode and by the time you turn onto the ramp and mash the pedal, the full 179 lb-ft of torque comes on at 1,700 rpm and delivers a pleasant surge of power good enough to merge past the semi ahead or for most uphill passing moves.
It can’t be compared to any M- or AMG- or S-badged models, yet it would make a better Type S than Acura’s larger crossovers. And there’s already an Integra Type S good enough to be nominated for a Best Car To Buy 2024 award.
Mash the plated pedal in Sport mode and the CVT lets the VTEC engine pump to 6,000 rpm, then it’ll fake a gear shift to drop it down to about 4,000 rpm. You could also shift the mechanical gear lever in the console to S as well, but the CVT’s artificial shifts are for fun more than anything else. Even heavy on the throttle results in a shiftless call to peak power, and the wheel-mounted paddle shifters don’t have long before they’re overtaken by the CVT’s programming. Breaking off course and heading uphill to Mount Palomar, I downshifted into a hairpin turn to keep revs up out of the turn, but the CVT took over before I was fully back on the throttle. In playing with the paddles on other turns as well as on uphill passing moves, it was smoother and more predictable to just rely on Sport or Individual mode.
2025 Acura ADX handles like a smaller car
On my climb of 6,000 feet to the top of Mount Palomar, I was happily reminded of the Integra due to the handling chops of the ADX. It’s a pretty standard MacPherson front strut and multilink rear suspension, but it seemed eager to be pushed. I obliged until the rubber on the ContiProContacts (235 /45R19) contacted the frostcicles shattering to the ground from the pine trees. All-wheel drive sends up to 50% of the torque to the rear wheels, so snapping it back to action after its spry turns was easy. The overall stability encouraged me to push it harder on each subsequent hairpin.
At 3,514 pounds with AWD, it’s relatively light for a crossover, but it’s still about 400 pounds heavier—and more than eight inches taller—than the Integra. Acura engineers offset the difference with larger stabilizer bars, increased spring rates, and overall more rigidity in the floating subframes. There’s no magic here—no adaptive damping or electromechanical sway bars or air springs—other than being designed well.
The steering feel complements that. There’s less power assist in Sport mode, so it’s more linear and directly connected to what’s going on down where the tires meet the road. With 7.3 inches of ground clearance, there’s no pretense to off-roading or TrailSporting, though a Snow mode likely provides more low end torque to get unstuck. Whatever snow remained was melting.
On top of Palomar, where the sun glinted off the frosty firs, and pillows of fog filled the deep valley below, and the endless ocean ran off in the distance, I was happy for the ADX. It didn’t suck. Quite the contrary. It delivered on Acura’s premium badge yet undercut competitors and left plenty of room for possibilities.
2025 Acura ADX
2025 Acura ADX
2025 Acura ADX
2025 Acura ADX
Could the ADX be a hybrid, or a Type S?
An ADX hybrid borrowed from Honda’s volume models would make a ton of sense here, especially considering the dual nature of the ADX. In Normal or Comfort modes, it’s a quiet cruiser. The Active Sound Control that pipes artificial engine noise through the speaker in Sport mode gets muted, and a low frequency noise control gets turned up. There’s some road and wind noise while cruising, but the sound-deadening materials in the firewall and carpet mostly silence the cabin in the way of many EVs.
There’s also the possibility for Acura to move upmarket with an ADX Type S, though don’t expect the 6-speed manual from the Integra. The ADX crossover SUV is priced for a budget, and the interior reflects that. The 9.0-inch touchscreen used in the Integra and Honda’s volume models is merely a vessel for smartphone compatibility, and leather trimmed upholstery only comes on the top A-Spec Advance Package I tested. There’s nothing flashy or luxurious about the interior, really, but the new orchid interior with blue striping opens up the interior even more.
My appreciation ran out at having to reestablish my Bluetooth connection each time I shut off the engine, but that bug should be worked out before it arrives in dealers this spring. Another peccadillo was having to press and hold the distance meter on the adaptive cruise control system.
Still, the possibility of a Type S entices. But ADX chief engineer Nobuyuki Kawaguchi wouldn’t tip his hand to Motor Authority.
“We look forward to seeing what the reaction will be with the ADX and 1.5-liter turbo-4,” he said with a well-earned smile.
Acura paid for airfare, lodging, and a Julian pie for Motor Authority to present this first drive review.
