2026 Acura ADX: St. Louis Buyers Guide

Acura’s cheapest car, on a lot that’s been selling Acuras since before the model existed

Frank Leta Acura opened its doors in 1986. The ADX itself is barely two years old — it landed for model year 2025 as Acura’s first genuinely small, genuinely affordable vehicle, the gateway model the brand had been missing for a decade. That gap between a 39-year-old dealership and a two-year-old nameplate matters more than it sounds: the ADX is exactly the kind of car that pulls in a buyer who’s never owned a luxury badge before, and a store that’s been doing this since Reagan’s second term has the systems in place — the Lifetime Warranty program, its own on-site Acura service center, parts department, even a car wash — to make that first-time-luxury-buyer experience less intimidating than it could be walking in cold.

For 2026, Acura made the least dramatic move possible with the ADX: it held the base price at $35,000 for a second straight year and swapped in a new Double Apex Blue Pearl II paint option on the trims that offer it. No new trim, no engine change, no equipment shuffle. In a market where a lot of new models get more expensive in year two, that’s arguably the headline.

One engine, three trims, and a naming quirk worth knowing before you shop

Here’s the thing that trips people up on Acura’s own configurator: the entry-level ADX doesn’t have a separate trim name. It’s just called “ADX.” Not “Base,” not “Standard” — the window sticker literally reads the model name twice. Above that sits A-Spec (black wheels, black exterior trim, heated and ventilated seats, a panoramic roof) and A-Spec with Advance Package (Google built-in, Alexa built-in, leather seating, a 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo, a heated steering wheel). All three run the identical 1.5-liter turbocharged four, 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft, through a CVT with steering-wheel paddles. There is no bigger-engine ADX to trade up into — unlike the RDX or MDX, where the top trim gets more power, every ADX buyer gets the same drivetrain no matter which trim they pick. Front-wheel drive is standard on all three; Acura’s Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control adds exactly $2,000 to any of them, sending power rearward on demand and reverting to front-wheel drive when it isn’t needed.

Small on paper, not small where it counts

The ADX shares its underlying platform with the Honda HR-V and ZR-V — same wheelbase, same basic passenger and cargo dimensions, some shared interior switchgear. Where it stops being a rebadge is under the hood: the ADX’s turbocharged engine puts out 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft, meaningfully more than the HR-V’s naturally aspirated 158-hp four, and Acura wraps it in its own styling, its own wheel designs, and a longer standard-equipment list. Cargo space runs up to 55.1 cubic feet with the 60/40-split rear seats folded, on a footprint that’s 185.8 inches long and rides a 104.5-inch wheelbase — genuinely small-SUV proportions, not compact-car proportions wearing an SUV badge.

Every trim gets AcuraWatch standard: collision mitigation braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise with low-speed follow, and road departure mitigation. That’s not an option-package upsell here — it’s on the $35,000 entry ADX same as the $44,000 A-Spec Advance AWD.

What buyers say about the dealership

Frank Leta Acura carries a 4.68-star average across more than 3,200 Google reviews for the main sales location, and the ADX-specific reviews already coming in echo the pattern. “Ryan Pennington was very helpful in getting me a new lease when I did not even know I could trade in my own lease prior to my 3 years. Love my new ADX and go see Ryan! He is wonderful!” wrote Michele Edstrom. Another buyer put it simply: “I love my Acura ADX, Edwin and Dustin took great care of me. All around happy and easy to work with,” from Brandon V. Two different names, two different departments (sales and finance), same theme — a straightforward buying process on what for a lot of these customers is their first Acura.

Owning one in St. Louis County

Two more guides pick up where this one leaves off. The service & repair guide covers how the Maintenance Minder system works, what Missouri requires for safety and emissions inspection in St. Louis County, and what’s covered under Acura’s factory warranty. The pricing & leasing guide breaks down Missouri’s sales tax structure, how the destination charge and AWD upcharge stack on top of MSRP, and whether leasing makes sense on a model this new to the lineup.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Acura ADX so cheap?

“Cheap” is relative — at $35,000 to start, the ADX undercuts most other Acuras by a wide margin because it’s built to be the brand’s entry point, sharing its platform and much of its cabin architecture with the Honda HR-V rather than with a larger, costlier Acura. That shared engineering is exactly what lets Acura hit that price while still adding a more powerful turbo engine, its own styling, and a longer standard-equipment list than the Honda it’s related to.

What are the downsides of the Acura ADX?

The honest ones: it’s a small SUV, so cargo and rear-seat room trail Acura’s larger RDX and MDX; there’s no bigger-engine option if 190 horsepower isn’t enough; and because it shares its platform with a mainstream Honda, badge-conscious shoppers sometimes discount it for that reason alone, even though the engine and equipment differ meaningfully. None of that makes it a bad vehicle — it just means the ADX is built to compete on value and content at its price point, not to be a smaller MDX.

Is the Acura ADX bigger than the RDX?

No. The ADX is Acura’s smallest SUV, positioned below the compact RDX and the three-row MDX. It rides a shorter wheelbase and offers less cargo room than the RDX, which is exactly the point — it’s built to be the easier-to-park, easier-to-afford entry into the lineup, not a replacement for the RDX.

Is the Acura ADX fast?

It’s brisk rather than quick. Independent 0-60 mph testing across different outlets has landed anywhere from the high 8-second range to just under 10 seconds depending on drivetrain and test conditions, with no single figure treated as an official Acura-published number. The turbo engine’s 179 lb-ft of torque arrives early enough to feel responsive around town; it’s not built to chase a stopwatch.

Is the Acura ADX a good car?

For what it’s built to do — a small, well-equipped, comfortable entry-luxury SUV with a genuinely more powerful engine than the mainstream compact it’s related to — yes, and Frank Leta Acura’s own review pattern backs that up with buyers describing an easy purchase process and a car they’re happy with. Like any vehicle, the right answer depends on what a specific shopper needs; a test drive against the RDX and against the Honda HR-V it shares a platform with is the honest way to confirm it’s the right size and price for your situation.

See the size and the price for yourself

A car this new to the lineup is worth sitting in before any spec sheet makes the call. Current ADX inventory and availability at Frank Leta Acura is the place to start, and the two guides linked above cover what it actually costs to own in St. Louis County and what the service department expects from this drivetrain over time.

All 2026 Acura ADX guides

• 2026 Acura ADX: St. Louis Buyers Guide
• 2026 Acura ADX (Entry Trim): St. Louis Buyers Guide
• 2026 Acura ADX A-Spec: St. Louis Buyers Guide
• 2026 Acura ADX A-Spec with Advance Package: St. Louis Buyers Guide
• 2026 Acura ADX: St. Louis Service & Repair Guide
• 2026 Acura ADX: St. Louis Pricing & Leasing Guide