2026 Acura ADX A-Spec Review: CUV Made Fun
Sometimes a spec sheet doesn’t translate to real experience and that’s exactly what happens with the 2026 Acura ADX A-Spec. Many will just see it as another CUV and miss the fact that it has the special feeling that others lack in the saturated segment.
On the outside, the Double Apex Blue Pearl II looked spectacular! You can paint the ugliest of cars with it, and it’ll make it look good, but thankfully the ADX is far from ugly. The sharp lines help create an aggressive front end. The 19” wheels on the A-Spec add a sporty look and stand out in the gloss black color. If you want to make the ADX look even more aggressive, you’ll want to option it out with the multiple underbody and mid tailgate spoilers.
Getting in, the Orchid interior option, matches perfectly with the blue exterior. You get an off white color with blue accents throughout. The seats were comfortable and offered heating and venting. I was a little disappointed with the venting as it couldn’t keep up with Texas heat. I was also confused how the driver’s side offers an abundant 12-way adjustability but the passenger had an inexcusably low 4-way adjustability. The Bang & Olufsen premium audio had a great interface in setting EQ based on feeling descriptions on a grid system.
Under the hood, the 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder, was delivering 190 horsepower and 179 lb.-ft. of torque. That was going through the CVT and this was equipped with the AWD option. This is what I meant that specs don’t tell the whole story. Although it has less power and has the CVT compared to its sibling Integra with manual transmission offering, I enjoyed driving the ADX more. The power delivery was exciting to experience with the turbo spooling quickly and offering torque on the low end. Then the CVT’s nature keeping the boost on till the VTEC kicks in on the high end and carries the power till the red line. These “stages” of power kept me engaged and entertained in what others would think would be a boring configuration based on the specs.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fun CUV that looks great, the 2026 Acura ADX A-Spec easily checks those boxes.
