Following the interior design concepts of the highly praised Mazda CX-60’s cabin, the Mazda CX-80 shares the same ‘Crafted in Japan’ high-class interior with the added benefit of a practical three-row seat layout. An expression of Japanese premium quality, the interior adopts two uniquely Japanese design concepts: Kaicho or ‘harmony’, which combines a mix of premium materials such as real maple wood, Nappa leather and chrome detailing to create points of contrast that are in perfect harmony; and Hacho or ‘broken rhythm’ – here exemplified by sophisticated Musubu stitching, which inspired by the centuries old art of Japanese knot tying, highlights the refined beauty of craftmanship and adds visual depth to the interior.
Across all model grades, by weaving the dynamism of light and a sense of life in nature into the orderly, high-quality space, the entire cabin expresses the Japanese aesthetic of ‘beauty of tone’. White ambient lighting on the front and rear door trims brings out the best of the colour and texture of the CX-80’s interior finishes.
Exclusive-Line cars feature black leather and grey roof lining, while the Homura and Homura Plus grade have black Nappa leather upholstery, hair-line gunmetal trim finishes and black roof lining. While the flagship Takumi and Takumi Plus model features maple wood trim that reflects the Japanese aesthetic of Hacho – asymmetrical balance, or intentional unevenness. While the fabric dash panel’s woven fabrics’ diverse patterns and yarns respond sensitively to changes in light, while a Japanese stitching technique called Kakenui creates ‘hanging stitching’ seams with spaces between the trim fabrics revealing a glimpse of the material beneath.
Seated in the front of the CX-80, the wide instrument panel and side air vents that feed into the door trim reinforce the width and spaciousness of the cabin. Additionally, the design of the thick centre console has a strong shape that expresses the presence of the powerful front engine, rear drive powertrain at the heart of the CX-80.
As with the CX-60, the Mazda CX-80 makes it very easy for drivers to find the perfect seating position thanks to a wide range of seat adjustment, great visibility and a steering wheel that offers a 45mm rake and 70mm reach adjustment range. In addition, the CX-80’s Driver Personalisation System comprises three functions: automatic driver position guide, automatic setting restoration and ingress/egress assistance. The camera/facial recognition activated system automatically adjusts the seat, mirrors, wheel and head-up display to the driver’s pre-set preferences or using driver’s eye-level and inputted data to recommend seating position. Mazda Driver Personalisation System is standard on all models except Exclusive-Line and can be added here via the optional Comfort Pack.
With good road visibility another key element of driver comfort, the CX-80’s high seating position and unobstructed view of the road makes it easy to place accurately on the road. Both the CX-80’s bonnet forward and diagonal forward visibility thresholds have been made a short as possible, while the base of the A-Pillar has a curved shape to make it easier to spot pedestrians at junctions. In addition, the CX-80 has a rearward field of view of up to 10 metres behind the car and one metre off the ground.
As you’d expect for the new flagship of the Mazda range, the CX-80 features the latest version of Mazda Connect, which offers users a fast start up, high resolution quality and logical operation. The system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard to ensure seamless smart phone integration. The Mazda navigation offers both offline and online navigation, with online functionality available via the MyMazda App. Amongst the advantages of Mazda’s latest navigation system is better search results, improved route optimisation and increased ETA accuracy. The CX-80 also features Alexa for in-car voice control, which functions in four languages to allow Alexa to control functions like navigation, air-conditioning and seat heating.
When it comes to the entertainment, the CX-80 features an enhanced version of the Mazda Harmonic Acoustics audio system first seen in the CX-60. The size of the side woofers has been increased to deliver a greater bass range and higher quality sound reproduction. From Takumi grade onwards, the CX-80 has a 12-speaker Bose audio system, which adds a central speaker and subwoofer.
Mazda’s first three-row vehicle in Europe since the Mazda5 MPV, the all-new Mazda CX-80 combines the premium SUV ambiance of the CX-60 with the practicality expected of a seven-seat large SUV. Compared to the CX-60, shoulder room, hip point spacing and front to second row couple distance has all increased.
In the standard specification, the bench seat middle row affords space for three adults in comfort with a sliding range of 120mm to adjust legroom and recline range of 15-33 degrees. Plus, from Comfort Pack Exclusive Line models onwards, the outer chairs have a one-touch seat back fold and forward slide to aid access to row three.
To allow customers to specify the seat layout that works for them, the CX-80 can be specified with two optional seat layouts. On Homura and Homura Plus cars a twin heated captain chairs in the middle row with a centre walk though space layout is a no cost option, while on Takumi Plus cars you can specify heated and ventilated twin captain chairs with a centre console in between as a cost option.
Passenger comfort and convenience is a key element of the CX-80’s cabin design with three-zone air conditioning and separate controls for second-row occupants. The second-row also benefits from USB-C charge ports, while in the third-row seats, passengers benefit from USB-C charge ports, cup holders and climate vents on all models
As you’d expect for a large family SUV luggage space is a strong point – with the third-row seats in place there’s 258 litres of space including the sub-floor area, which allows for storage of the charge cables on the PHEV. With the CX-80 in two-row configuration there’s 687 litres, while with all seats folded and loaded to the roof there’s 1,971 litres of cargo capacity. All models in the line-up come with hands-free powered tailgate. Other practical features standard on Plus models, and optional as part of the Convenience and Driver Assistance Pack, include QI wireless phone charging, 1500AC power socket (PHEV only), 150W AC socket, plus front centre storage and door pocket illumination.