The ADX sports the company’s newest design language and certainly looks like it belongs in the premium class.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
I’m surprised it has taken Acura this long to come out with an entry in the subcompact SUV market. BMW has been selling its popular X1 here since 2012, with Mercedes following shortly after with the GLA. Nearly every luxury brand has since come out with one, including Volvo, Audi and Lexus.
Subcompact SUVs are the gateway to these luxury brands as small sedans have all but disappeared. Acura is hoping to claim its stake with the new ADX, which now ranks as the cheapest SUV in the brand’s lineup. No doubt Acura hopes the ADX is a big seller.
To begin with, it looks great. Much better than the compact RDX, which is a bit awkward from some angles.
The ADX sports the company’s newest design language with its athletic stance, long hood, cab-rearward design, extroverted pentagon grille and precisely lit headlights. The ADX looks like it belongs in the premium class.
Acura finally has a subcompact SUV with the ADX being the cheapest SUV in its lineup.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
It drives well too, with excellent steering, confident handling and a refined ride that emphasizes sportiness. The drive modes offer a clear distinction between Sport, Normal and Comfort.
The interior is another strong point. Maybe it’s because I like red seats, but it’s the option I recommend on the ADX. There’s red leather-like material on the dashboard and doors, glossy textured black trim with dark metallic accents and the seats are a combination of red and black microsuede. The seats are also very comfortable and, even though it’s a mixture of Honda Civic and Acura Integra parts, it looks and feels premium. The ELS sound system, only available on the top trim, is also extremely good.
The interior is another strong point, especially the red leather-like material on the dashboard and doors.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The problem is the powertrain. It’s a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine mated to a CVT, producing just 190 horsepower. It’s a good engine and the CVT is fine in something like the Honda HR-V (what the ADX is based on), but in the ADX, a performance-inspired vehicle, it falls short.
It’s programmed to work like a normal automatic with distinct gear ratios, especially in sport mode, and when pushing it, there’s a reasonable amount of power. But reasonable isn’t the point here. A luxury vehicle should have more because that’s what you’re paying for. And the Acura is certainly charging luxury money with prices starting at $48,706.
The 1.5-litre turbocharged engine is far less powerful than engines from rivals, including the BMW X1.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Take the BMW X1, easily the benchmark in this class. It’s $3,000 more to start, but you get 50 more horsepower and a massive 116 more lb-ft of torque. You also get a larger and more advanced infotainment system and better driving dynamics. Acura doesn’t post acceleration times but Motor Trend ran the ADX from 0-60 miles an hour (96 kilometres an hour) in 8.2 seconds in its testing, compared to a 5.6 for the BMW.
There’s an even faster version of the BMW, too, and while power isn’t everything, you definitely feel like you get more for your money.
It’s a similar story with the Volvo XC40 and the Audi Q3, both good products for about the same price as the Acura, but with more power and better gearboxes.
Acura does have familial options it could have used. Honda’s hybrid engine makes more power and torque and it doesn’t have a gearbox at all. I’ve experienced it in the Civic and the Accord and there’s an abundance of torque. It’s also very efficient and the powertrain is wonderfully refined. A case can be made to equip it not just for fuel savings but for the improved driving experience.
The powertrain from the RDX is another candidate. It’s a two-litre turbo with much more power and torque, and just feels better suited to vehicles in this sandbox.
The rear seats on the ADX.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
In order to get some of the best features of the ADX, such as the stereo and the Google-based infotainment system, you need to step up to the Platinum A-Spec, the top trim, which means forking over $55,000, just $2,000 shy of the starting price of the RDX. At that price, you’re better off with Acura’s bigger crossover, which has more space, a better engine and transmission and a more advanced torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system.
What Acura has going for it is a trusted badge and a reputation for reliability. Considering it’s HR-V/Civic based bones, it’s safe to assume the ADX will maintain that. Long-term reliability matters less for those who lease and, at the time of this writing, Acura has some of the highest lease rates, making rivals such as the BMW X1 cheaper monthly, regardless of actual price.
The X1 is one of the most popular vehicles in this segment with punchy engines, the latest tech and a sporty driving experience that’s hard to beat. And while the ADX is a good first effort for Acura, it’s far from the best choice in this class.
There is up to 690 litres behind the rear seats, which expands to up to 1,560 litres when the 60-40-split rear seats are folded down.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
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Editor’s note: A previous version of this review incorrectly referred to adaptive dampers. The ADX does not have adaptive dampers.