With the average price of a new car nearly hitting the $50,000 mark and persistently high interest rates for car loans, consumers are concerned about vehicle affordability. Acura addresses these economic pressures with a new small crossover SUV with a base price of $35,000. Meet the 2025 Acura ADX.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
You can think of the all-new 2025 ADX as a mash-up of an Acura Integra and a Honda HR-V. Built on a global vehicle architecture engineered by Acura’s parent company, Honda, the ADX tucks into the automaker’s SUV lineup beneath the RDX. In addition to the platform, it shares plenty with the Integra, including its turbocharged four-cylinder engine, continuously variable transmission (CVT), and technology. The ADX even has the same amount of cargo space behind its rear seats.
Acura sells the 2025 ADX in a base trim level called ADX, to which you can add an A-Spec package or an A-Spec Advance package. Base prices range from $35,000 to $42,000, not including a destination charge of $1,350, and the SUV goes on sale in March 2025. Read our full preview of the 2025 Acura ADX for more background and details.
For this review of the 2025 ADX, Acura provided a test vehicle equipped with A-Spec Advance trim and the following options:
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) was $46,890, including the $1,350 destination charge to ship the SUV to your local dealership from the Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, assembly plant.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Dressed in traditional Acura design, the ADX is fundamentally appealing, though the huge grille, excessive front overhang, and optional front underbody spoilers create proportional imbalance.
Sliding into the driver’s seat reinforces that sense of visual mass concentrated at the front of the ADX. The view of the hood and fenders makes this small SUV feel larger than it is. So does the spacious interior, which Acura claims is among the roomiest in the segment, and the available panoramic sunroof makes the cabin seem even bigger. In the A-Spec Advance test vehicle, the quality of the materials exceeded expectations relative to the price.
Acura lays out the controls logically and even includes a traditional PRNDL shifter instead of buttons and switches. A 10.2-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system are standard, and Acura equips the latter with a volume knob, tuning buttons, and ledge to brace your hand while using the touchscreen. Climate controls feature knobs and buttons with delightful tactility, and live in the middle of the dashboard below the artfully rendered air vents.
With the A-Spec Advance package, Acura fits the ADX with leather upholstery (instead of artificial leather), a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory for two positions, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. Both front seats are comfortable and provide terrific leg support, and finding a proper driving position is effortless. Though the front passenger’s seat lacks height adjustment, Acura positions it high enough that the omission isn’t an issue.
The back seat is roomy enough for two large adults, with good legroom and foot space. It can hold three people, but they’d better be smaller in size and stature. Air conditioning vents and USB-C charging ports are available to these passengers, but comfort might be elusive due to the low and flat cushion and oddly angled backrest.
Acura supplies a practical amount of interior storage space, including a center console cupholder that held my 32-ounce Hydro Flask water bottle. Around back, a power liftgate is standard, with hands-free operation on the A-Spec Advance. It reveals 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space (23.2 cu-ft with the panoramic sunroof), nearly identical to the Acura Integra. Fold the 60/40-split rear seat flat, and the ADX can carry 55.1 cu-ft of cargo (53.9 with the panoramic sunroof).
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Acura equips the ADX with a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, access to AcuraLink connected services plans, wireless smartphone charging, and an eight-speaker stereo.
When you upgrade to the ADX A-Spec Advance, you get an exclusive version of the 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system equipped with Google Built-in and Alexa Built-in. Acura provides a complimentary three-year subscription to Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play Store, while Alexa operates on the AcuraLink Wi-Fi or your smartphone’s data plan.
My test vehicle had the Google/Alexa Built-in system, which worked beautifully. For example, while traveling in an unknown area, I used Google Assistant to request directions to an address. The route took me off the local freeways and onto surface streets, separating me from another group I was traveling with. That was confusing, and I almost second-guessed the tech. But I pressed on and arrived at the destination before they did.
In addition, the Google Assistant quickly and accurately responded to other commands and queries, and I had no trouble requesting artists and songs to play via Apple Music. However, one of my favorite things about the new ADX is the 15-speaker Bang and Olufsen audio system in the A-Spec Advance, and it did not disappoint me.
AcuraWatch is standard on all ADX models, a collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) that includes all of the features you’ve come to expect on a modern luxury-branded vehicle. With A-Spec Advance trim, the ADX also has front and rear parking sensors, low-speed automatic braking, and a surround-view camera system with six different views to consult.
I used the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance on the freeway, and it worked in a refined, trustworthy manner. In other situations, such as on two-lane country roads and suburban boulevards, using the lane-centering assistance without the adaptive cruise control quickly led to driver irritation. Fortunately, you can turn this off using a button on the steering wheel.
Acura’s lane-departure warning technology wobbles the steering wheel when the driver drifts over a lane marking. I prefer a vibration, which produces a more urgent and insistent alert, but in a subtle way. I did not experience any false lane-keeping assistance interventions, but I also tested the ADX in an area other than my usual evaluation loop.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Acura uses a version of the Integra’s turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine in the new ADX. It makes 190 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 179 pound-feet of torque from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) powers the ADX’s front wheels unless you’ve upgraded to the all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.
Notably, the ADX makes less horsepower and torque than the Integra, down 10 horsepower and 13 lb-ft of torque, but it weighs hundreds of pounds more. That’s not a recipe for rapid responsiveness, and it explains why I think the ADX’s acceleration is merely adequate.
In typical daily driving, you might not notice a power deficit. However, whenever you need maximum power, such as for passing, getting onto a freeway, or beating someone away from a stop because you have a turn coming up, the ADX may disappoint you. In addition, the engine makes plenty of racket when revved, and once the turbocharger gets the turbo four into the thick of the torque band, power delivery can feel uneven.
Also, the ADX does not offer Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), a torque-vectoring technology that can put up to 70% of the engine’s output to a single rear wheel. Instead, it has a more conventional AWD system that can transfer about 50% of the engine’s output to the rear wheels.
Several driving modes are available. I used Normal mode for most of my evaluation, but I tried Sport mode a few times. It instantly makes the ADX feel more energetic but may reduce fuel efficiency. Speaking of fuel economy, Acura estimates the ADX AWD will return 27 mpg in combined driving. My observed 23.6 mpg result came nowhere near that figure, but in all fairness to Acura, it reflects about an hour’s worth of engine idling during the six hours I spent with the SUV. Your real-world gas mileage will undoubtedly prove better than mine.
It’s unfortunate that the ADX isn’t as lively as other Acura models because the ride quality and handling dynamics are spot-on. Equipped with a sport-tuned suspension and 19-inch wheels wrapped in all-season performance tires, my test vehicle was enjoyable to drive on the back roads of San Diego County. The grip is good, and the suspension is communicative without sacrificing the supple compliance that makes it easier to live with a vehicle.
Likewise, the steering is fluid and responsive, with a hint of feel for the road. I felt the effort level was a little too high, though it is entirely in keeping with Acura’s position as a performance-oriented brand. As for the brakes, the pedal feel and response are perfect, making it easy to modulate the pressure and bring the ADX to a smooth, clean stop.
With only 7.3 inches of ground clearance and that jutting front overhang, the ADX is not a prime candidate for off-roading. Plans to tackle something more challenging than a well-worn trail that an Integra could probably handle will require buying something more capable.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Among small luxury crossover SUVs, the new 2025 Acura ADX has a nice price, roomy interior, and stylish design. The technology provides the features you want the most without extraneous items you’ll rarely use. Factor in Acura’s reputation for reliability and safety, and the ADX is sure to appeal to customers seeking value in a small, upscale SUV.
The least appealing thing about the ADX is its powertrain. Compared to Acura’s other entry-level model, the Integra, the more expensive ADX isn’t as powerful, fuel-efficient, or enjoyable to drive as the five-door hatchback. Acura could solve that problem by offering parent company Honda’s excellent two-motor hybrid powertrain in an ADX Sport Hybrid. Maybe we’ll see one of those in the future.
That ho-hum performance also makes the ADX’s rivals more appealing. While they’re more expensive than the Acura, the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Volvo XC40 are zippy, nimble, and equally practical.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
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