Really Annoying and Really Great Details of Our 2025 Acura ADX

Things to like and loathe about this small luxury SUV.

Now more than halfway to our mileage goal for long-term review vehicles, I’ve gotten to know the 2025 Acura ADX well. It continues to satisfy overall, serving well as a comfortable and uncomplicated daily driver. From all that time behind the wheel, certain things have come to stand out—some for the right reasons, some for the wrong. Here are some likes and dislikes from 10,000-plus miles in the Acura ADX.

Annoying: Driver Assists

At what point is a feature no longer a feature? That’s what the ADX’s janky adaptive cruise control has me questioning. It’s concerningly slow. I’ve counted nearly four seconds from when the leading vehicle brakes to when the ADX follows suit. Because it notices so late, it has to brake hard. Then it accelerates leisurely to close a gap.

Most annoying is the extent to which it doesn’t just coast down for small decelerations, instead typically using the brakes when not necessary—and accordingly causing the driver behind me to brake, and behind that driver, and behind that driver ...

Also, it can get tripped up through curves, mistakenly identifying vehicles ahead turning through parallel lanes as the leader, braking abruptly when there’s ample space in front even as the lane keep assist steers accurately.

Great: Speaker System

Our ADX, built in high-end A-Spec with Advance trim, has several exclusive niceties other versions lack. A favorite among those is the 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, an upgrade over the base eight-speaker setup. Rich, clear, and especially immersive, it sounds appropriately premium for a vehicle seeing luxury categorization.

Annoying: Road Noise

Not everything in the ADX sounds good, though. Often when I get back in it after time with a different vehicle, its noisy cabin stands out. There’s some wind noise, but the persistent tire noise is more noticeable. It’s amplified at freeway speeds and especially on pavement that has an even slightly gritty texture. This gripe is tolerable but is worth noting in the ADX’s upscale qualifications.

Great: Remote Engine Start

Here in Southern California, there’s no real need to remote start the ADX’s engine. I still do anyway. I like to know it’s warmer than if I otherwise fired it up and immediately zipped away, but an actual benefit is how it can simultaneously precondition the cabin.

Using the AcuraLink mobile app, I configure my preferred climate temperature and seat heating or ventilation settings before I get in. Those activate whether I use the app or key fob to activate remote start. The key fob is more reliable than the sometimes-slow app, but the app works from farther distances and isn’t exclusive to the A-Spec with Advance trim.

Annoying: CarPlay Connectivity

Sometimes, the ADX's infotainment doesn’t automatically establish a wireless Apple CarPlay connection with my iPhone. I have to go into the devices menu and select my iPhone manually, at which point it loads CarPlay just fine. This issue is sporadic but happens more often than makes sense. I’ll get it checked when I take the ADX to an Acura dealer for its first service soon.

Great: Capless Fuel Filler

It’s the little things, right? Not having to unscrew a gas cap when I refuel eases the process ever so slightly, but I’ll take it. Now, the alternative seems so clumsy.

Annoying: Honda Paint

Our ADX’s Urban Gray Pearl paint looks great, especially when sunlight hits at the right angle to illuminate the warm, brassy tone in it. That effect isn’t diminished much even when the body is slightly dusty.

But it’s grating to see a Honda in the same color. When an Urban Gray Pearl–painted Civic, Accord, CR-V, or—worst of all—HR-V passes by, I’m reminded of how much the ADX shares with those mainstream vehicles. No one driving a so-called luxury car wants that, even one at the entry level. What’s more, those drivers got Urban Gray Pearl for a better deal: Acura charges $600 for it, Honda only $455.

If it were up to me, I would’ve ordered our car in Acura-specific Double Apex Blue Pearl paint, which would nicely match the ADX’s chic, blue-accented interior.

Great: 360-Degree Camera

Our range-topping ADX is equipped with what Acura calls a Multiview Camera System, which shows a view all around the vehicle. It’s crisp, clear, and clutch, and it has become indispensable when parking and maneuvering in tight spaces. Selecting reverse turns it on, and it can be activated by a button at the end of the right-side signal stalk. It won’t show if the button is pressed at speeds above 15 mph, but as the ADX slows past that threshold, the 360-degree camera activates, ideal to check my alignment with other vehicles or a traffic light sensor. Another press toggles to side views of the vehicle to help avoid curb rash.

For More On Our Long-Term 2025 Acura ADX:

• Luxury on Training Wheels?​
• Did We Get It Wrong at SUV of the Year?​
• A CVT Automatic with Paddle Shifters—Why?​
• Don’t Politicize Engine Start-Stop Tech​