CHARLESTON, West Virginia — Acura has finally completed its SUV menu with the entry-level ADX appetizer. It’s a tasty little morsel.

On a road trip to see family in West Virginia, I switched drive modes from NORMAL to SPORT and headed up Charleston’s famed Loudon Heights Road, a twisted two-lane carved into the rocky hill that overlooks the capital river city. The firm, rooted steering rack gave me immediate confidence as I dove into blind bends, narrow sweepers, tight hairpins.

I’ve been driving this road since I was 16 years old in Volkswagen Golf GTIs, Porsches and BMW M3s, and the Acura SUV showed impressive poise for a high-riding SUV. Credit Honda engineering, which has taken the solid Honda HR-V chassis and dialed it up to Acura standards.

Acura has thrown out the HR-V’s 158-horsepower gerbil wheel for the turbocharged, 1.5-liter 4-banger shared with Acura’s entry-level Integra sedan (and the Honda Civic Si hot hatch). Charging into a left-hander at the top of Louden Heights, the all-wheel driver gripped nicely before I flattened the throttle on exit and let loose the turbo-4 and its 190 ponies with a satisfying howl.

It’s a dramatic change from the HR-V with its droning 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which struggles off corners with just 138 pound-feet of torque.

At rest in a parking lot, my $45,950 A-Spec Advanced tester looked sharp. Signature “chicane” LED running lights, black trim, Urban Gray wardrobe, scalloped shoulders, sharp-edged Diamond Pentagon grille. The wardrobe matches Acura’s performance mission and is as different from the soft, cute lines of the HR-V as a Doberman is from a beagle.

Together with Integra — a gateway drug to hotties like the Integra Type-S hatchback and TLX Type S sedan (not to mention the Acura team that races in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar series), ADX is a proper introduction to the brand's performance-oriented SUVs: RDX A-Spec and MDX Type S.

Performance, meet utility. ADX is no sports sedan, but neither is it your average family hauler, offering surprisingly fun-to-drive dynamics in a ute. For 10 grand extra, it’s a significant step up from HR-V — a signal you’ve entered a premium store in the car mall. Good thing, because there’s little to choose between premium and mainstream in digital features these days. Like Honda, ADX offers a generous suite of standard features such as wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and a rear hot tub (kidding about that last one).

ADX’s sport ‘n’ style upgrades offer more separation from HR-V compared to, say, an Integra and Honda Civic Si — the latter a hot hatch as compelling as its luxury relative.

Mission accomplished, ADX. Welcome to Acura.

Ultimately, however, Acura must also justify itself relative to competitors. And subcompact luxe is a boiling shark tank. Ask $40K-plus for an SUV and you are playing in the same league as two of my favorite performers: the BMW X1 and Mazda CX-5.

Like ADX, these sport utes welcome you with distinctive styling, confident handling and a basket-full of standard features. And they expose ADX’s weaknesses.

Chief among them is the drivetrain. A comparable $47,725 Bimmer and $40,015 Mazda offer significantly more performance. The X1 and CX-5 pack a whopping 25-35% more giddyap — 241 and 256 horsepower, respectively — from their turbo-4s. The Mazda also brings, ahem, 320 pound-feet of torque.

Stomp CX-5 out of a corner and it translates that grunt to all four paws with one of the smoothest six-speed auto transmissions in the business. While ADX’s throaty four is a step up from HR-V’s power, it does not ditch the Honda’s CVT transmission, making for less invigorating acceleration. The result is a 5.5-second 0-60 mph sprint for the BMW (seven-speed dual-clutch tranny), 6.2 seconds in the Mazda — and (yawn) 8.7 seconds for the Acura.

The ADX’s Integra sibling is also equipped with a CVT transmission — but it options a six-speed manual that enthusiasts can row to their hearts' content. ADX? You’re stuck with the CVT, though Acura adds shift-like “steps” to the experience to simulate gear changes.

The Acura’s cabin also isn’t as dramatic a wardrobe change from its Honda sibling as its exterior suggests.

My A-Spec tester’s interior offered lovely material touches like a two-toned stitched dash and blue suede door inserts, but the twin digital screens are right out of a Honda. No knock on Honda (which has elevated its game with a fine mainstream interior), but Acura has to compete against the BMW’s luxurious, hoodless two-screen layout that sprawls across the dash with graphics galore.

The Mazda can’t match the Bimmer either, but then it is the value play here (a role Acura usually plays). The CX-5 interior exudes class with its organic lines and horizontal layout.

For hours of interstate driving on our 800-mile round trip to Charleston, ADX was a serene companion. Mrs. Payne took over the wheel for a stint and I laid the driver’s seat (almost) flat and was snoozing comfortably in minutes.

Acura's excellent ergonomics made for easy driving over a variety of roads. I engaged adaptive cruise control down I-75, across U.S. 35 in Ohio, and into Charleston on I-64. Speed and radio controls on the steering wheel are raised so I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road to find them with my fingers.

Happily, Acura has ditched the fussy remote True Touchpad Interface screen controller it introduced on the RDX SUV last decade. A nine-inch touchscreen does the job.

BMW, Mazda and Acura complement their controls with voice commands, and my ADX tester stands out with Google Built-in (a system familiar to owners of GM brands).

Hey Google, set driver temperature to 70 degrees.

Done.

Hey Google, navigate to Charleston, West Virginia.

Done.

Hey, Google, what is a good pizza restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia?

"Lola’s and Pies & Pints are often recommended.” Oh, Google you are good.

But Google Built-in is only offered on the top A-Spec model with the Advance Package, an oversight for this technically focused brand. Otherwise, the interior is spacious for a subcompact with 37.7 inches of rear legroom. Competitive with Bimmer, two inches shy of the Mazda value king.

Head-to-head comparisons aside, ADX sets the bar for Acura. And that’s what you want in an entry model (plus Acura reliability).

After having my fun up Loudon Heights Road, Mrs. Payne finally had enough.

“Can we slow down now?” she pleaded.

ADX SUV, take a bow. As we say in West Virginia: Almost heaven.

2025 Acura ADX

Vehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV

Price: $31,590, including $1,595 destination charge ($44,925 Badlands Sasquatch as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder

Power: 190 horsepower, 179 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 125 mph (est.)

Weight: 3,611 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 25 mpg city/30 highway/27 combined (26 mpg observed)

Report card

Highs: Sharp styling to match handling; suite of standard features

Lows: Less power than competitors; Google Built-in only available on top trim

Overall: 3 stars

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