Acura is expanding its crossover lineup for 2025 with a new “gateway” (don’t call it entry level) model called the ADX. It should come as no surprise that the ADX shares a lot with several other American Honda siblings since that’s how the auto industry has worked for decades. In this case, the ADX is a mix of parts from the second-generation Honda HR-V, the Civic Si and the Acura Integra. That makes this a compact crossover and we recently had a chance to drive it for the first time in southern California.
The ADX rides on the same 104.5-inch wheelbase as the HR-V which is about 3 inches shorter than the Civic/Integra. However, the ADX body is a full 6-inches longer than the HR-V with more overhang at each end. The ADX has completely unique bodywork that replaces the somewhat dull and lifeless lines of the HR-V with styling that carries at least some of Acura’s “precision crafted performance” DNA.
The Acura look is most prominent at the front with the “diamond-pentagon” grille and the signature look of the daytime running lamps. The metal along the sides is also more creased than the soft contours of the HR-V. The Acura lighting look is also echoed at the rear. Overall, the ADX looks fine, but it doesn’t particularly stand out from the crowd of crossovers the way something like a Genesis GV60 does.
The tendency to blend in was further amplified by the decision to have all of the vehicles in the drive program in the same urban grey paint. I understand that this is the most popular color that Acura sells as the various monochromatic tones offered by most other automakers. But this is more an artifact of the way Americans buy vehicles than actual consumer preference. Dealers order stock for their lots and want stuff that is going to move fast so they get a lot of monochromatic finishes. Americans mostly buy from inventory rather than ordering from the factory and waiting. Thus they buy what’s available.
Acura actually offers a couple of great colors for the ADX, Adriatic Blue Metallic and Milano Red, but neither were available to drive or photograph. In addition to urban grey, there is a black, white and silver. BORING! Please, if you are considering buying the ADX or anything else, get a fun color.
One of the reasons given for only having the grey was it’s the only color offered by Acura with the Orchid interior. This is an off-white upholstery that looks really good (at least when new) and is available on other Acura models as well. However, on the ADX, they’ve added some cool looking blue suede inserts on the seats and door panels. Despite how good this combination looks, I’d probably take a pass because white-ish seats rarely continue to looks so good after months or years of use, especially if you wear denim.
The ADX interior feels relatively premium and is what I would expect from a price point that ranges from the mid-30s to mid-40s. Most of the surfaces are soft touch, with only a little bit of piano black on the console around the transmission shift lever and switches. The steering wheel has a nice thick, easy to grip rim which is great for driving. As usual for a Honda product, the seats are very comfortable and supportive and the back seat is adequate for a couple of adults with good head room and enough leg room for six-footers.
A nine-inch center touchscreen is standard along with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. The infotainment system runs on Android, but only the top A-Spec with advance package adds in Google automotive services (maps, assistant and play store for apps). On the ADX with Google services, Acura includes a 3-year data plan for in-vehicle apps, after that, owners will have to pay a subscription fee to continue using those services. The base ADX, A-Spec and A-Spec Advance all include wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay support. On my test unit, I logged in to my Google account, downloaded PocketCasts and listened to podcasts for the three hour solo drive.
One thing I definitely appreciate with Honda and Acura is the decision to stick with physical controls for climate, audio and vents. This is the way it should be because it just works and can be done with muscle memory.
Under the hood, the ADX has more in common with the Integra than the HR-V. While the HR-V gets Honda’s naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, four-cylinder with 158-hp and 138 lb-ft of torque, the Acura gets the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. In the ADX, the 1.5 turbo produces 190-hp and 179 lb-ft of torque. That’s 10-hp and 13 lb-ft down on the same engine in the Integra. That’s an unfortunate difference since the front-wheel-drive ADX weighs nearly 300-lbs more than the Integra and all-wheel-drive adds another 250 lbs. Considering that the ADX has the same cargo volume and only 1.5 cubic feet more passenger space, I would always opt for the lighter car over the crossover unless I absolutely needed AWD.
The ADX is only equipped with a continuously variable transmission which definitely saps some of the fun from this 1.5-liter turbo. I own a 2017 Civic with a 174-hp version of this engine and the CVT and while the transmission isn’t ideal, at just 2,950-lbs, it feels a lot more lively than the 3,611-lb ADX with an extra 16-hp. We drove up from the Pacific coast in Encinitas into the mountains to Santa Ysabel.
The Civic-based platform of the ADX has very good fundamental driving dynamics. The ride quality is excellent even on rougher roads and steering feel is excellent. The ADX like its siblings goes where you point it through curving mountain passes and is generally responsive up to the limits of the all-season tires grip. Beyond that, it will understeer, but it’s always easy to drive in a spirited manner. But the combination of the weight and the CVT means it’s more reluctant to accelerate out of corners, especially as altitude climbs.
It also doesn’t brake as well as a Civic or Integra which have the same 12.3-inch front rotors but less kinetic energy to dissipate at the same speeds thanks to the lower mass the cars have. The ADX does have slightly larger rear brakes but it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference.
Given the weight the ADX already carries, I’d love to see a Type-S variant with the torque vectoring super-handling all-wheel-drive system. The 272-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo used in the RDX would be sufficient for an ADX Type-S, but according to Acura representatives, the 10-speed automatic won’t fit in this platform. While the Integra uses this engine it’s only with a six-speed manual and I doubt they can make the business case for the 10-12 stick shift ADXs they would sell.
Aside from the less than ideal power/torque to weight ratio of the ADX, it’s actually very pleasant to drive overall. It’s got all of the driver assist features that most people will want including full stop and go adaptive cruise control and blindspot monitoring. It’s roomy enough for four adults and it actually looks good as long as it’s not a boring grey that melds into any urban background.
The pricing isn’t unreasonable either, ranging from $36,350 for the base FWD to $45,350 for the AWD A-Spec with Advance package (all including delivery). Personally, I can live without AWD so I’m sticking with the much lighter sedans and hatchbacks.
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