I Took our 2025 Acura ADX Off-Road. It Didn’t Get Far.

Finding out if Acura’s baby SUV has any trail chops.

Off-roading is strictly not what the ADX is for. Acura’s entry-level SUV is meant to be a comfortable runabout with tech and space for everyday driving.

It’s not positioned as an adventurous vehicle, much less a purpose-built dirt machine. But while driving MotorTrend’s yearlong review ADX near some trails, curiosity took over. Then the little Acura’s tires touched dirt for the first time.

Our ADX is about as off-road-ready as any other. All-wheel drive is the only real capability upgrade, and our ADX has it. Notably, it’s not Acura’s signature torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). Instead, the ADX shares its front-drive-based system with the mechanically similar Honda HR-V, sending power to the rear axle when needed.

Rocky deserts stretch for miles around Southern California’s Willow Springs International Raceway. Years of two- and four-wheeled exploration have carved a sprawling network of trails through the surrounding foothills. I’ve explored them in more rugged vehicles, learning that many of those trails are dusty, occasionally steep two-tracks dotted with technical obstacles. I decided to see how far the ADX could get.

The excursion began on a gently winding climb. Soon I encountered the first obstacle, a shallow rut, where the camber of the trail transitioned. I lined up and approached slowly, feeling the suspension articulate as the surface twisted enough to elevate the left-rear wheel into the air.

That was as far as I got. With only three tires touching the ground, I could feel the drivetrain searching for grip, but the unloaded wheel just kept spinning. Maybe things would be different if the ADX had locking differentials or knobby all-terrain tires, but those wouldn’t make sense for its intended function. (Brake-based “differentials” are used in many similar crossovers, but either the ADX doesn’t have them, or they didn’t work in this scenario). The all-season rubber our Acura rolls on is reasonable for every driving scenario—except this one.

Not wanting to get risky, I reversed back down to level ground. From there, I took another way to a hilltop, where several smooth and short but steep pitches connected. I tackled a few of those in the ADX, using the standard descent control function to automatically and safely maintain single-digit speeds. The 360-degree camera equipped in our A-Spec Advance trim model also proved useful, showing approaching drop-offs in a wide-angle view from a camera embedded in the grille.

Still, none of this was encouraging to my sense of the ADX’s capabilities. The long front overhang brushed the dirt several times while completing those pitches, and with only 7.3 inches of ground clearance, I had to be cautious around protruding rocks. From there, I returned to level ground, where the trails turned into dusty unpaved roads.

If the ADX wouldn’t crawl rocks, maybe it could play like a luxurious little rally car. Sport mode. Manual shifting. Stability control off. I tossed it into corners, powering on early to initiate slides. No such luck. The ADX refused to misbehave. To its credit, the all-wheel drive worked as intended, preserving traction with a sure-footed feel.

As off-road adventures go, this one was tame. The ADX showed its limitations early, and I didn’t want to push things too far as the end of its stay approaches. But if this folly proved anything, it’s that even without torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, the ADX has enough capability to take on gravel roads, snowy driveways, and rain puddles that many drivers face across locales and seasons. That’s as much SUV as Acura built the ADX to be.

Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door internal combustion SUV

1.5L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4

Continental ProContact TX; 235/45R19 95H M+S

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Alex LeanseAlex’s earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He’s never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn’t fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.