As you might imagine, a steady stream of cars to review comes and goes from my parking spot. Some weeks, they stand out, like the bright green Aston Martin, the murdered-out Bentley, or the VW ID. Buzz you can read about soon; these cars usually spark conversations with neighbors, particularly those who don’t know why there’s a different vehicle in that spot each week.
At other times, the vehicles are more anonymous, and I’m not sure this ADX sparked any community discussions. Compact crossovers are a popular breed and blend into the background. Particularly when they’re painted an unobtrusive shade.
Which is not to say the ADX is not handsome; the Urban Gray Pearl paint looked good even in the near-constant rain (which explains the Acura-supplied images rather than my own) that coincided with our time with the tester. And from the driver’s seat, the view down the hood, along those creases, is a lot more interesting than most comparable crossovers, considering the ADX’s $35,000 starting price.
“Compact and bijou,” as House MD might have said in a former life.
Acura
Acura
The lack of a hybrid is a bit of a shame.
Acura
“Compact and bijou,” as House MD might have said in a former life.
Acura
The lack of a hybrid is a bit of a shame.
Acura
It’s built in Mexico alongside the Honda HR-V, and shares a platform with the Acura Integra and Honda Civic. Like the HR-V, there’s no hybrid option, just a 1.5 L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 190 hp (142 kW) and 179 lb-ft (243 Nm). There’s also only one choice of transmission—a continuously variable transmission.
This has preprogrammed “shift points” that simulate the gears of a more conventional transmission. Acura says it has been programmed for performance, and you can use the steering wheel’s paddles to change up or down a virtual gear. The turbocharged engine starts making all its torque from 1,700 rpm, but if you’re in a hurry, you’ll first hear the revs rise out of proportion to the initial increase in speed, and full power doesn’t arrive until 6,000 rpm, with the redline 500 rpm further north. It’s not the best-sounding engine in the world when it’s revved up, either.
As standard, the ADX is just front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is available for an additional $2,000. This can send up to half the engine’s available torque to the rear wheels, but expect it to be front-biased in day-to-day driving conditions.
I love the view from the driver’s seat down the spine of the hood.
Credit:
Acura
Fuel efficiency is not remarkable, but here it’s about average for the class. With all-wheel drive, as tested, the EPA estimates 27 mpg combined (8.7 L/100 km); I actually returned a slightly better 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) across the week.
