Designing a Car Cabin for The Human Journey
CX-30’s Cabin is Imbued with High-Quality Features Designed to Maximize Quality Time
No matter how short the distance — be it to the grocery store for an online order pickup or a cruise through the mountains for fresh air — comfort and function matter. In the first-ever CX-30 crossover SUV, one idea remains central: Great design can foster quality time. In CX-30 the only things you won’t hear are things you won’t miss.
For example: While savoring a local weekend drive, you might notice the high quality and depth of the conversation you’ve had with your partner ensconced in the passenger seat next to you. Later, when braving that trip to the grocery store, you might be surprised at the level of detail you’re able to glean from your favorite podcast as you stay connected and informed.
In short, you may notice an increase in the caliber of your interactions and a greater sense of comfort. What you’re not likely to notice is road noise, an uncomfortable seat or the distracting din of music that is too loud.
That’s because the entire cabin of the 2020 CX-30 was designed to create a space that’s comfortable, and conducive to human connection.
“The cabin had to be spacious enough to facilitate good times shared between family and friends,” explained Naohito Saga, program manager of CX-30, “offering comfort and peace of mind so drivers and passengers could relax and enjoy the ride.”
The result is a spacious interior that incorporates a number of features to help create a sense of serenity and flow for both drivers and passengers. Careful attention was paid to the craftsmanship of each and every detail from materials to finishes, creating not only a fantastic environment, but also a cozy conversation space. Here are some standout examples of the intentionality behind CX-30’s interior design:
A Quiet Cabin
To further enhance the premium experience of CX-30’s interior, one of the most important tasks for Mazda’s designers was to create a quiet, peaceful space; an environment in which the driver can naturally focus on the road and the passengers can relax and have clear conversation. It’s not enough to just make the cabin quiet, though: Mazda’s designers studied human perception of sound to eliminate sounds that are perceived as unpleasant, while transmitting pleasant sounds from the engine and audio system.
To achieve a cabin where occupants feel at ease, Mazda engineers rethought nearly every assumption. For example, the audio engineering team at Mazda moved the side speakers in CX-30 from their traditional location in the doors forward to the footwells, eliminating a major source of road noise and vibration. The entire cabin is constructed with a two-layer wall structure, incorporating an insulating layer to further dampen unwanted sound. Holes were eliminated throughout the cabin where possible to enhance the effects of the sound insulation. Even the floor mats and tires were carefully selected for their ability to reduce spikes in road noise caused when traveling across different pavement types.
A Refined Audio System
While CX-30’s quiet cabin makes conversation a joy, the sound quality in the vehicle is also greatly enhanced by the new Mazda Harmonic Acoustics sound system. By studying human physiology and psychology, Mazda’s engineers were able to position the speakers in a layout for optimal sound playback and transmission to the human ear. This has the effect of balancing out the audio while increasing the dynamic bass range and enhancing mid-range sound clarity to create an immersive quality and clarity of sound reminiscent of a sound studio.
When the audio system is added to all of the other comfort features found in CX-30, passengers should be able to relax and enjoy engaging conversations. At the same time, drivers should be able to converse safely and effortlessly. The result? An unheard-of level of quality interaction during the journey the owner is sure to notice.
A Well-Appointed Seating Area
To give CX-30’s interior a premium feel, Mazda’s designers referenced luxury furniture and leather makers to study how they layered the fabrics and treated their stitching. Then they applied similar techniques to the CX-30’s interior, resulting in a sense of texture, depth of color and a unique luster.
A Spacious Cabin
The cabin of CX-30 was meticulously crafted to offer an interior space that seats four adults comfortably on even the longest drives. Both the front and rear seats in CX-30 are designed to create a comfortable distance between its occupants. Despite the size difference of the vehicles, CX-30 has the same distance between passengers as the larger-profile Mazda CX-5. Increased space between the seats also allows the driver and front-row passenger to easily converse with second-row passengers or check on a child in a car seat. To further define the space, CX-30 also includes wide center consoles with armrests in both the front and second rows, creating literal ‘elbow room’ for every passenger.
A Graceful Entry
CX-30 makes it easy to access both the front and rear seats. Even though it has a high ground clearance, its lower hip point on the seats and taller door openings were designed to allow for natural entry and exit. Engineers also added a new shape to the door sills to help prevent accumulations of mud or dust, so that passengers will not get dirt on their clothing when exiting the vehicle.
“We carry out a lot of research into the way customers use our vehicles,” said Masanori Mochidzuki of the Architecture Design Department at Mazda. “We want customers to sense the spaciousness of the rear seats as soon as they open the car door and to ensure leg movement will be smooth when they actually board the vehicle. Passengers can get in and out of CX-30 smoothly with minimal neck and lower back strain.”
