Acura is expanding its lineup with the 2025 Acura ADX. It’s an all-new compact crossover based on the popular Honda HR-V, slotting in below the RDX and competing with the likes of the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLB, and many others in this highly competitive segment. Can Acura’s newest and littlest subcompact luxury crossover compete in this top A-Spec Elite trim?
Does it look like an Acura?
Acura’s design language has translated well into their recent products. Both their sedans and crossovers come off as athletic and clean, without being too busy and gimmicky. I used to own an Integra Type S, so I’m a little biased in thinking that’s the best example of Acura’s precision-crafted design, but the ADX is up there. Its body is well-proportioned, the chicane headlights integrate nicely into the large-but-not-obnoxious gloss black grille, and it wears just the right amount of cuts and curves to look ready to run. There’s a tasteful amount of gloss black trim around the wheel arches and lower body, and the rear end is clean if a bit basic compared to the front fascia. The gloss black 19-inch wheels are a ho-hum effort on Acura’s part; black wheels are played out, and other Acuras have some genuinely hot wheels. Pun intended.
Like other, more junior models in the lineup, the 2025 ADX’s interior is more Honda than Acura. It borrows essentially the entire cabin from its Honda stablemate, changes up a few panels and trim pieces here and there, and replaces the H on the steering wheel with an A. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, because Honda’s interiors have been punching in well above their weight lately. They’re good-looking, materials and build quality are excellent, and their logical layouts and generous amount of physical controls makes the ADX very easy to live with. The seats are finished in a grippy ultrasuede on A-Spec trims, which both looks and feels good. If I had to nitpick, the all-black cabin could use some additional brightening outside of some red stitching and two lone strips of white ambient lighting that can’t be customized, and there’s a fair amount of scratchy plastics lower in the cabin, but they’re mostly inconspicuous.
What tech is on-board?
As the entry point, the ADX (along with the Integra) woos newcomers into the Acura fold with a fair amount of standard equipment. A 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a nine-inch touchscreen running Google’s new user interface are standard. Acura’s suite of active safety features and driver assists, like radar cruise control and forward collision alert are also all standard. Oddly enough, automatic emergency braking are reserved for higher trims like our tester.
Speaking of our tester, upgrading to the Elite A-Spec get you even more tech, beyond automatic emergency braking. You also get a 360-degree surround-view camera and a 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, with some trick-looking tweeters on the A-pillars. It’s a bit odd that Acura went away from their ELS systems, as they’ve always been comfortably among the best out there. This new B&O system is mostly good, if a little less neutral and more party-bright (read: unbalanced) in many cases.
What’s under the ADX’s hood?
Unlike the Honda HR-V, the ADX is turbocharged, which acts as the biggest difference between the two. A 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine pumps out 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. Neither of these numbers are class-leading, but the ADX moves with a decent amount of purpose, even if it does sound like a vacuum cleaner when you’re pushing it. The CVT works fine, but does exhibit some of the trademark quirkiness that typically comes with these transmissions. Another key differentiator between the ADX and HR-V: all-wheel-drive is standard on the Acura.
The ADX is a comfortable highway cruiser with noise levels being kept mostly in check, as long as you aren’t giving the ADX the beans too hard. With that being said, it sounds and feels more like a good mainstream product than a luxury one, with certain sounds like tide thumping coming through more than you’d expect. Acceptable in a $35,000 Honda HR-V, not so much for a $50,000 Acura. You can toggle between a few different drive modes, but because the suspension setup is fixed, changes are limited to steering and throttle. To Acura’s credit, the ADX’s MacPherson struts up front and multi-link setup out back makes it feel sporty and athletic, but there’s a fair amount of body motions that I wish were a bit better controlled. Perhaps there’s an ADX Type-S in the works. Just saying, Acura.
The all-wheel-drive system in the ADX is a front-based system like the HR-V; it’s not their venerable SH-AWD. There’s also no proper limited-slip differential on board, but Acura tries to mimic one with what it calls Agile Handling Assist, using the brakes of the inside wheel to help pull out of corners. It isn’t as effective as the proper limited-slip diff in Honda and Acura’s performance models, but for this mildly sporty ADX, it works.
Is the 2025 Acura ADX the one to get?
The ADX A-Spec Elite is a good product, and at $52,380 as-tested, it’s priced rather well for a very competitive segment. More expensive German rivals offer more performance and bells-and-whistles, though the price jump isn’t as significant as you’d think. The gas-powered Volvo XC40 is a viable alternative, and there’s even some overlap with the super popular Lexus NX, but all those get pricey when you load it up to the same level as the ADX. I think the thorn in the ADX’s side doesn’t come from a traditional luxury brand, but rather Mazda: the rather excellent CX-50 is larger, more powerful, and arguably just as luxurious in feel for nearly identical money.
Despite that, Acura needed a good entry-level crossover as a gateway into the brand, and the 2025 Acura ADX is a good bet to attract both brand loyalists looking for something bigger or smaller, as well as introducing new, young buyers into the brand.
