This sophisticated, stylish, and turbocharged crossover should be the best-selling Acura in Canada this year
Now, some of that — heck, maybe most considering how tight the Canadian economy is going to become — is because, despite its expensive-looking exterior, the ADX is priced aggressively. Base models — with all-wheel-drive and 18-inch alloys, doncha know — ring in at $44,980, the A-spec with its remote engine starter, heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats costs just two grand more and the ADX Platinum Elite A-Spec — with a pretty incredible 15-speak Bang & Olufsen sound system and a bunch of other doo-dads — is still a very competitive $51,480.
What stands out in the Acura ADX?
What powers the 2025 Acura ADX?
- 1.5L turbo four making 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque
The road test isn’t going to go half-bad either. For one thing, rather than trying to massage the HR-V’s 158 horserpower, naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre, Acura just dropped in the company’s best engine, the little 1.5L turbo four. Blessed with 190 horses and almost as many torques — 179 pound-feet, in fact — there’s more than enough urge for the ADX’s intended purpose and clientele. Probably best described as fruity rather than actually fast, Acura is not releasing an actual acceleration figure, but if they just channelled a certain famous English automaker and described it as “adequate,” they would not be off the mark.
All of this melodiousness is helped by the tremendous work Acura has done filtering out unwanted noise. I’m not sure if this involved copious amounts of sound deadener — the A-Spec and Elite get extra insulation — or some judicious re-engineering of the HR-V platform’s natural frequencies, but the effect is that, when you don’t want to hear the engine, it’s damn near dead-silent, a mere burble barely heard. This is another arena where the ADX takes on the Europeans and doesn’t suffer for the comparison
If you’re looking for reasons to not like the ADX, understand that the sleek look and sporty exhaust note bely a fairly ordinary chassis. Oh, the suspension isn’t exactly soft and the chassis more than up to snuff, but the steering is as tone-deaf as a Donald Trump trying to tell us that it’s Zelensky who’s the autocratic dictator. You probably will have driven off into the ditch before the steering wheel tells you the front tires have lost traction. But that, again, barely matters to the intended clientele. Much more important will be that the all-wheel-drive system — standard in Canada; optional in the United States — is lifted directly from the latest CR-V, and not only can it transfer up to 50% of the engine’s torque rearward but also remains engaged at highway speeds for faster response and greater stability.
What competes with the Acura ADX?
On the other hand, Acura Canada wants nearly $1,000 to lease an Elite Spec ADX. Either the company can’t get access to cheap financing or else they don’t think the ADX will hold its residual value. Either way, if you’re shopping an ADX — and, if you’re looking at the premium subcompact segment, you should be — buying would seem to make much more sense than financing. Wonky financing notwithstanding, the ADX is going to be a big hit. It’s pretty, it’s perky and, most importantly to a Canadian consumer looking at a tariff-induced slide of the loonie, it’s cheap.
The 2025 Acura ADX will be available at dealers in Ontario and Quebec the week of March 17 while British Columbians and Albertans will need to wait an additional week.
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