• Shares interior layout with the 3 hatchback
• Plush materials and upmarket feel
• Infotainment simple and easy to use

How is the quality and layout?

In short, the CX-30’s interior is impressive. It’s carried over almost completely unchanged from the Mazda 3 hatch, so you’re treated to robust and premium-feeling materials, a neat dashboard layout and a very crisp central infotainment screen. The main difference is that you’re sitting a little further away from the road.

The interior is refreshingly uncluttered with all the controls clustered together in a logical fashion. Some of the climate control buttons could do with clearer markings, as they can be initially confused as switch blanks, but the cabin is easy to get to grips with.

Depending on spec it comes with leather or fabric inside, with a large piece of soft-touch material across most of the dashboard. That’s a welcome departure from the large slabs of cheap, hard plastic you’ll find in the VW T-Roc, for instance.

The e-Skyactiv X is available with a very modern looking white leather option too, but even the lower-spec models have dark blue inserts around the cabin. It’s not what you’d find in most cars, and we’re glad Mazda likes to do things a little differently.

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The biggest advantage the CX-30 has over the 3 hatchback is how much brighter the cabin feels. The brown interior and optional stone leather seats help liven up the interior somewhat, but the absence of black headlining makes the biggest difference. Higher spec e-SkyActiv X models go one further with a standard-fit sunroof as well.

Infotainment and tech

The central screen uses a rotary controller as its only method of interaction – rare, now, as more manufacturers just rely on touchscreens – and it’s simple to operate. It seems that Mazda has taken a leaf out of BMW’s book in terms of infotainment operation.

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The only fly in the ointment is with the screen itself – although it’s 8.8-inches wide diagonally, it’s not that tall, and feels noticeably smaller than in competitors with its letterbox-style view. It’s not the end of the world, but when you jump into another car with a larger screen, it’s noticeable. If only for navigation instructions where you can see a wider view of where you’re going. To counter this, the screen itself is crisp, and directions clear when you need them.

Contemporary technologies such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are both standard, although here is where you’ll find having to scroll through the icons with the rotary controller far less direct in operation compared with a touchscreen.

Is it comfortable?

• Comfy seats are supportive
• Low engine and wind noise
• Ride comfort good, too

There’s height and reach adjustment for the steering wheel, while the front seats offer a wide range of adjustment as well – even manual seats on lower-spec cars enable you to tilt the seat base to support your legs a little more – and offer plenty of support. We’d say the cloth items on Sport Lux models are some of the best in terms of comfort.

The cabin remains refined even at speed too, with both engines nicely quiet most of the time. We covered several thousand miles in the CX-30 and it was calm, quiet and serene over most speeds and road surfaces. Wind noise is limited to a distant flutter by the door mirrors, though things do get blustery with the windows cracked.

• Find out how comfortable the CX-30 was to live with over nine months

A 10-speaker Bose set-up is available on high-spec cars, that includes a subwoofer in the boot, and has little trouble drowning out any noise on the motorway.