2025 Acura ADX Classes Up the Subcompact-Crossover Joint

Yahoo

13-03-2025

Spinning silver strands from steel wool is standard practice in the auto industry. Take the new 2025 Acura ADX. Based on the salt-of-the-earth Honda HR-V, it enters life with much of its development and tooling costs already amortized. After all, the redesigned-for-2023 Honda HR-V has already sold over 273,000 units in the U.S. alone. At this point, not trying to squeeze a little more juice from the corporate fruit by way of an upscale derivative could be considered a dereliction of duty.
While it'd be tempting to dismiss the ADX as just a "gussied-up" HR-V, it'd be a categorically inaccurate statement. (Attention readers less than 50 years old: Gussied up is what Grandfather called the Cadillac Cimarron when it debuted, as it was essentially a Chevrolet Cavalier run haphazardly through a derelict Bits 'N' Glitz storage closet located in the basement of GM's headquarters.)
No, Acura has gone to great lengths to give the ADX a personality of its own, one that reflects the sporty-luxe ethos that distinguishes the brand from Honda.
The makeover starts by ditching the HR-V's 158-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in favor of a 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter unit. It pairs solely with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with six stepped simulated "gears"; no manual or traditional automatic options are available.
If that sounds familiar, it's probably because it is. Though altered slightly, the ADX's engine is quite similar to the 200-hp powertrain used in the current non-Type S Acura Integra—as Acura proudly, and repeatedly, points out. We'll point out that it's also similar to the mill found under the hood of the Civic Si, as well as the nonhybrid Honda CR-V that shares its output ratings. Compared to the Integra, Acura notes that the ADX's mill has a higher compression ratio of 10.6:1 versus 10.3:1. Both models also employ unique valve-timing strategies, though the ADX does not use the Integra's lightweight flywheel. Acura says to chalk up the ADX's slight power deficit to the usual issues of vehicle weight, purpose, packaging, and efficiency targets.
The "gear" and final-drive ratios of the CVT are also shuffled slightly to accommodate the needs of each vehicle. While this attention to detail illustrates how thoroughly Acura approached this transformation, the ADX does not get the option of a limited-slip rear differential, nor does it have adaptive dampers as are available on the Integra. That's unfortunate. The ADX comes standard with front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive is available across the lineup for a reasonable $2000. But that AWD setup is Honda's less sophisticated Intelligent Control System that electronically manages torque between the front and rear axles; it will not help you rotate the vehicle by cleverly proportioning power side to side across the rear axle as the SH-AWD system does in Acura's larger SUVs, including the RDX and MDX.
Otherwise, the ADX relies on styling and features to make its case. Though the ADX shares the HR-V's 104.5-inch wheelbase, Acura's stylists managed to stretch the overall length by six inches to 185.8 inches. Most of that stretch comes from the ADX's familial beak and its rear design treatment. Speaking of which, the ADX is just 1.6 inches shorter in length and 1.9 inches shorter in height than its big brother, the RDX. Plenty of exterior sculpting is on hand to complement the brand-specific fascia without creating excessive visual drama.
Interior measurements hide no surprises: Legroom checks in at 41.9 inches front and 37.7 inches rear, same as the HR-V. Cargo room also is the unchanged, with the standard ADX matching the HR-V's 24 cubes with the rear seat up and 55 cubes with it down. Know that the ADX's subwoofer—part of the Bang & Olufsen 15-speaker audio system in the top-trim A-Spec with Advance Package—reduces both of those cargo figures by 1 cube, so bass lovers will want to leave behind that third pair of socks.
Materials quality gets attention too, with a standard leather-wrapped steering wheel (flat-bottom design on the A-Spec and up). There's also an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, rear air vents, dual-zone climate control, LED ambient lighting, a sunroof, standard 18-inch wheels (19s, A-Spec and up), and more. It's almost enough to justify the roughly $4000 upcharge that the ADX's entry point holds over a fully loaded HR-V EX-L AWD model. Almost.
Where the ADX makes its case is in the chassis tuning and the body-structure improvements that work toward validating its price premium. We drove a fully loaded A-Spec with Advance Package (leather seating, four-way lumber adjustment, the B&O sound system, heated steering wheel, model-exclusive black wheels and exterior trim, remote start, multi-view camera), but every ADX benefits from these improvements.
First observation: It's remarkably quiet. Acura takes that already-rigid body structure and applies extensive sound-deadening measures, including the liberal application of foam insulation, sound-absorbing fender liners, and an interior floor covering teamed with sound-absorbing carpet. The result is a far more relaxing environment. There's still a little wind noise, and tire noise occasionally penetrates the cabin when the tread pattern finds fault with the pavement texture. But it's a rolling anechoic chamber compared to the HR-V.
More significantly—to us anyway—the chassis gets a full work-over with specific tuning for the dampers and springs, as well as stiffer anti-roll bars. Acura also tweaked the software for the electric power steering and fussed with the steering shaft column bearing. Working in conjunction with the 235/45R-19 all-season tires (the base model gets 225/55R-18 rubber), the setup is a revelation. We kept pace with an eager driver in a BMW 3-series on the winding roads near Southern California's Palomar Mountain long enough to discover precise, linear steering response without a hint of twitchiness, plus enough grip to hang as tight as we were willing to push it on the unfamiliar roads. Did the 3-series walk away from us easily when the driver tired of playing games? Of course. The ADX is not a canyon carver, but it harbors no unpleasant surprises, and that is respectable. On the highway, the steering has a nice center valley that makes for relaxed cruising. The chassis bits are so in tune with each other that you may ask, "Why didn't Honda start with this setup on the HR-V?"
But—and there's always a but—the transplanted turbo engine left us wanting more, despite its much-ballyhooed Integra lineage. That could be because, at a claimed 3611 pounds in its grandest AWD trim, the ADX is around 300 pounds heavier than the last HR-V we tested. Mashing the accelerator elicits a typical CVT response: The engine revs and the tach needle swings toward its 6500-rpm redline, but vehicle speed is always a step or two behind. Employing the shift paddles—made of aluminum, no less—can help you game the system, and it adds a level of driver involvement. Left in Sport mode (Snow, Normal, and Comfort are also available, with the top trim getting an Individual mode too) and with the shifter pulled back for a sportier response, the CVT does have a pretty well-honed instinct for "downshifting" and holding the engine at higher revs when braking before a corner. But it can't match the Integra's joyful verve.
Basically, the ADX, like so many Acura vehicles before it, sees itself as a shrewd alternative to European competitors. In the subcompact luxury SUV segment, that means the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Mercedes-Benz GLA-class, a trio of Teutonic players with meaningfully more horsepower and traditional automatic transmissions—as well as price premiums to match for most trim levels.
Starting at $36,350 with front-wheel drive and retailing for $45,350 in the top-tier A-Spec with Advance Package, all-wheel drive, and nearly every available option, the ADX seems almost bizarrely expensive until you compare it to its European rivals. Looking at the top trims, in particular, the ADX is a tad pricier than the Audi Q3 while undercutting the Mercedes GLA250 by a little and the BMW X1 by a lot. While spinning an upscale model from the corporate parts bin is not uncommon, the ADX does a convincing job of stepping out from the shadow of its humble HR-V foundations.
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