Honda was the first of the big three Japanese automakers to spin off a luxury brand, launching Acura back in 1986. Toyota spun off Lexus, and Nissan launched Infiniti in 1989. They're now all well-established brands with their own identity. Acura has been a bright spot for Honda, with the MDX its best selling vehicle in the Acura lineup, one of the top-selling three-row luxury SUVs in North America, with cumulative sales over a million units in North America. But what of buyers who seek Acura but want something smaller than the MDX? That's the territory of the RDX, a top seller in the luxury compact SUV category.
Acura has kept an eye on the North American subcompact SUV market; a subcompact luxury crossover seems like a natural extension to the brand line, particularly with a starting price under $50,000. Enter the Acura ADX, new for 2025. Because it's part of Honda, the ADX benefits from the Honda "HA" global platform, which it shares with the 11th-generation Civic, the Integra, Honda CR-V, and Honda ZR-V / HR-V. A tested and widely produced platform allows for shorter time to market, allowing the Acura team to focus on luxury touches like interior design and amenities. Suffice to say, when I had the chance to spend a week with the 2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec Advance Subcompact SUV, I jumped at the chance. Here's what they dropped off:
This is in "urban gray" with an "orchid" interior, and it's a striking, attractive SUV that conveys both luxury and toughness. It features 19" alloy wheels that offer good traction, and it handled well while driving at speed through the mountains of Colorado. The base ADX has a starting price of $35, but once you add performance and luxury options, the price creeps up. This configuration with both the Advance package and the A-Spec package has a base price of $44K. That's not too bad given the price of competitors at their top trim levels: The BMW X1 M35i xDrive has a base of $50K, the Audi Q3 S Line TFSI Quattro has a base of $43K, the Volvo XC40 Ultra starts at $50K, and the Lexus UX 300h F-Sport has a base price of $47K.
I'll come back to the price and value question, but let's spend some time looking over the vehicle, starting with the dashboard and its 9" infotainment touchscreen:
There's a lot of that "orchid" interior leather, and it's a very comfortable and attractive layout. This is a pretty standard vehicle control layout that will immediately feel familiar. One slight surprise is that the steering wheel heater button is on the lower portion of the steering wheel itself, a logical placement, but in a spot that usually doesn't have any buttons or controls. Rather than being integrated into the dash, the infotainment screen feels a bit like an add-on, which is interesting for a vehicle that's new with this model; a more luxurious appearance would be to have the dash flow around the screen more organically.
The audio system itself sounds great; it's a Bang & Olufsen system with 15 speakers tucked into various nooks and crannies of the ADX interior. You can definitely jam out while on the road or listen immersively to the latest business podcast, depending on your preferences.
You can see the steering wheel control button a bit more clearly in this picture. Notice the excellent symmetry of the controls on the steering wheel, something I appreciate. Can you see the metal pedals and paddle shifters? Both are nice touches, though, as with all vehicles equipped with paddle shifters, I can't help wonder what percentage of owners, if any, actually utilize them or even know that they're included.
There are a fair number of controls on the center console, however. For a subcompact, it's surprising that the center console has this much space, but it's comfortable, not cramped, so it's just design magic. The gearshift is a simple, straightforward shifter, which I appreciate in an era of buttons, sticks, and knobs being utilized as shifters. The ADX features a continuously variable transmission (CVT), so there are no actual gears to shift through, of course.
Which leads to the obvious question of how paddle shifters work if you can't use them to go from 2nd to 3rd or downshift to 4th to slow down a bit at highway speed? The answer is that the paddle shifters change gear ratios with the CVT, simulating a 7-speed stepped gearbox. Switch drive modes (Normal / Sport / Eco) and these ratios change, allowing sport mode to run at higher RPM to simulate a performance driving experience.
The climate control center is neatly designed with three prominent knobs and buttons scattered around them. Notice below the dual USB-C charging ports, (hidden) 12V plug for radar detectors, etc, and the Qi wireless charging pad at the bottom. I had good luck with this charging pad too: Some manufacturers have charging pads that don't keep a consistent connection with my iPhone 15 Pro, but this worked well.
The main gauge display was bright and useful, if a bit cluttered with data and imagery. It's easily adjusted, however, and you can see a little bit of optimism in Acura's engineering design with an odometer that allows you to track over 100,000 miles. I did, however, find the lane tracking sensor system very sensitive, as shown above.
The vehicle's 1.5L turbo 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission combined to offer a solid drive experience, with nice handling on mountain roads and a nimble feel on the highway. It's not lightning fast from a stop, but once you start driving EVs, all internal combustion engines feel a bit hesitant from the get-go. EPA rated fuel efficiency is 25/30, and I averaged 27.8 mpg for the driving I did, which I felt was reasonable, though a hybrid option that squeezed an additional 10mpg would be much appreciated. Perhaps for 2027?
Stepping out of the driver's seat...
There was decent legroom for rear passengers, though it wasn't sufficient for the driver or front passenger to push their seats all the way back while still allowing a comfortable ride for rear-seated adults. Sufficient for children? Yes, until they hit their teens, perhaps. Or let them drive and move the seats up!
There was reasonable rear cargo space, always the tradeoff with rear legroom, and I appreciated that Acura includes the tonneau cover without additional cost in this model. What was a surprise was that under the rear mat were three handy cargo spaces:
I admit, though, it's possible that these were intended for a tire-changing kit that wasn't included with my loaner vehicle, it's still good to know. I really like hidden storage spaces in vehicles from a security perspective, though the ideal is for it to be at least large enough for a laptop. This is redundant with the tonneau cover, of course, but multiple layers of security is a good thing.
And so, finally, there's a lot I liked about the 2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec Advance, from its entry-level luxury SUV pricing to its appearance and drive experience. It wasn't the sportiest SUV I've driven recently, even in sport mode, but it was definitely one of the most comfortable. I found that the road noise was acceptable for its class - more expensive luxury SUVs definitely isolate the passenger cabin more acoustically - and that it was easy to drive, easy to park, and entirely functional for my crew when we drove around Colorado. If you're in the market for a subcompact SUV and want one with a bit more bling that's more upscale than "the usual suspects", the 2025 Acura ADX should definitely be on your short list.
2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec Advance powered by a 190hp 1.5L direct injection VTEC turbo 4-cylinder engine and CVT. BASE PRICE: $44,000.00. Options Included: Premium paint charge. AS DRIVEN: $45,950.00.
Disclosure: Acura loaned me the ADX for a week in return for this candid write-up. This article originally appeared on PlanetDave.com with the title 2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec: The Budget Acura SUV and is republished with permission.
Hey Dave Taylor wants you to share this!
