Swan: The 2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec

Illustration by Vilhelm Pederson, from the first edition of "The Ugly Duckling" (1843, now in the popular domain).

In 1843, Hans Christian Andersen wrote a fairy tale called "The Ugly Duckling". TL:DR? The duckling is kinda funny-looking, but grows up to be a beatiful swan.

As to what that has to do with the 2025 Acura ADX:

This is the Honda HR-V---a $25,400 subcompact SUV ($29,500 in top trim shown here) with 158 horsepower that takes 11.5 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour from a standing stop.

This is the 2025 Acura ADX. It's based on the HR-V, but it's very different.

Moving from fairy tales back to automotive analogies, this is Acura's Falcon/Mustang moment---and it's not the first. The ADX is very much following the path Acura used to differentiate the Integra from the Honda Civic.

The ADX uses the same 1.5-liter VTEC turbo four found in the Integra. Here, the output is 190 horsepower, which gets 0-60 sprints down to a respectable eight seconds flat. Shifting continues to be done by a CVT, and the ADX can be had as either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Our tester was AWD. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 25 city/30 highway/27 combined.

There's also a rear multi-link suspension, integrated dynamics system with individual mode and paddle shifters.

I had the chance to drive some great Sonoma County backroads during my week with the ADX, and it tackled them with the same enthusiasm as the Integra. The ADX has moves the HR-V could never approach.

Rear cargo space is identical to the HR-V---24 cubic feet behind the second-row seat, 55 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat.

The rear seat legroom also mirrors the HR-V's at 37.7 inches...generous for the class.

The rest of the difference is in the interior. You can see where the money got spent.

Oh, yeah---money. The base price of the 2025 Acura ADX AWD A-Spec with the Advance Package is $44,000 ($45,350 including destination). That's $14,500 more than a top-trim HR-V and it shows.

About pricing: As I write this, the tariff picture is unclear. The ADX's engine and transmission are made in the U.S.A., but the vehicle is assembled in Mexico, 30% of its parts come from that country and 35% come from outside North America. Dealer pricing may be very different by the time you read this.

Standard at that price are a full suite of active safety features, leather-trimmed seats, heated and ventilated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 9-inch color touchscreen, 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone automatic climate control with air filtration system, 12-way power driver's seat with four-way lumbar and memory, four-way power front passenger's seat, rear consol vents, a wireless phone charger, auto-dimming rearview mirror, power-folding heated power door mirrors with turn indicators, a hands-free power tailgate, remote engine start, rain-sensing wipers, panoramic moonroof with tilt and slide feature, 19-inch alloy wheels, a Bang & Olufsen 15-speaker premium audio system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google built-in, Alexa built-in, sport pedals, ambient LED lighting, rear USB ports, a rear cargo cover and LED fog lights.

The only extra-cost option on our tester was $600 for the Urban Gray Pearl paint, so the bottom line on the window sticker reads $45,950.

That is a reasonable price for a premium subcompact SUV. The ADX is terrific. Dare we hope for an ADX Type S?