I think it might be time for hi-fi cupholders.
Writing about floor mats as an automotive journalist–especially for an “enthusiast” outlet–always feels a little tricky. After all, floor mats are usually an afterthought. They’re a punch line in a joke about sleazy car salesmen, or something your aunt got you for Christmas that you immediately threw in a closet and will maybe sell at a swap meet someday.
But properly designed mats can truly improve your experience of a car, particularly a daily driver. When you think about it, your interface with your floor mats is as intimate and frequent as that with your seats, steering wheel or pedals. So while we tend to take them for granted, a good set of mats can truly upgrade your entire relationship with your car.
That’s where 3D Mats comes in. Entering into the “all-weather, laser-scanned” portion of the market occupied by some heavy hitters in the industry would seem intimidating, but 3D Mats comes in with a new approach worth considering. Most laser-scanned, all-weather mats are essentially semi-rigid drop-in shells. They’re awesome at containing spills and being as rugged as the guy on the Brawny roll, but they can lack the inviting, soft feel that makes you feel at home in something that isn’t a work truck.
3D takes the laser-scanned, deep-well, semi-rigid mat approach, but uses a porous upper layer to provide some softness and “cush” to the mats. As a result, these feel more like upholstered mats rather than rigid plastic shells, but they’re still deep, form-fitting and waterproof.
So they provide the same spill resistance and ability to be hosed off that rigid mats do, but with an additional dimension of softness, both visually and in feel. Basically, they do an exceptional job at taking the concept of weatherproof mats and de-industrializing them for civilized applications.
We added a set of Kagu Series mats from 3D Mats to our daily-driven Toyota Prius, and the $169 front and rear seat set has proven its worth after a wet and muddy Florida fall. The ability to simply remove the mats from the car, hose them off, and dry them with high-pressure air or time in the sun is worth the price. After multiple cycles, they still look great.
Sure, we can do that with our rigid-style, all-weather mats as well, but the 3D Mat also feels and looks softer and more comfortable for a daily driver.
So, yeah, it feels weird to write about floor mats sometimes, but sometimes the right floormat can also make you a little happier in your car, and isn’t that ultimately what we’re all looking for?
I think it might be time for hi-fi cupholders.
So do we have a 20-page spread of these floormats slated to go along with the 20 pages of Weathertech ads in the next GRM? ;)
irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:So do we have a 20-page spread of these floormats slated to go along with the 20 pages of Weathertech ads in the next GRM? ;)
Hey, if they're going to help pay the bills, I'm all for it.
irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:So do we have a 20-page spread of these floormats slated to go along with the 20 pages of Weathertech ads in the next GRM? ;)
They buy a page in GRM and a page in Classic, but if you know someone there that wants to buy 20 pages, please send them our way. My mortgage company and my hungry ducks would appreciate it.
Next they'll cry about floormat companies supporting sanctioned racing series.
I am interested enough to ask: is there a referral code to let them know we found out about them through GRM?
But! Their website needs serious help it's awful. At least in Firefox, it's constantly closing the top menus when you're trying to pick your car, and it doesn't seem to work even once you get your car info entered. Yikes.
JG, are you suggesting that you need to feed the ducks more?
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:JG, are you suggesting that you need to feed the ducks more?
I'm suggesting I never want to find out what they'll do should they ever encounter an empty food dish.
So, we've been using this brand for our family vehicles since 2014. '14 Accord, 18 CR-V, and now our '22 Odyssey. It's one of the first items we buy aftermarket for the vehicles, and I have never regretted it. It's these and the Lamin-X headlight and fog light films, to be honest!
We like the way these floor mats compliment the interior, add protection, and provide durability. They don't look bulky, or rugged, and are easy to install.
They add a nice clean look, offer great protection from the Northeast Ohio elements, are easy to clean, and fit very well. Rain, dirt, snow, ice, you name it; does a great job containing it. The lips are high enough on the edges, and the woven design helps trap dirt/dust well.
The bottoms are very grippy, with a strong loop-and-hook backing, and there are factory positioned click-turn lock holes, too; they aren't sliding around once they stick to the vehicle's carpeting!
We take them out a few times each year for a soapy scrub, rinse, and air-dry outside. In between the washes, it's an easy clean with some interior cleaner/detailers spray and a wipe.
The only "downsides" are that they are a little slick when new or freshly treated or new, but nothing too crazy. I did notice that after 6-7 years, there was some wear marks on the driver's side, where the heel rests when driving, I think it's referred to "delaminating", but it's just the top layer that wears off; the hard shell is still intact. Lastly, they can be a little bit uncomfortable if you're working on the interior of the car and crawling around on the floor, and the "velcro" fibers on the bottom are a little prickly.
I know it's not a motorsport item, but it's cool to see this produce reviewed here; thanks guys! I konw a lot of people come here for reviews, advice, and product reccomendations!
I looked up 5 of my cars and they showed no products for any of them. 3 weren't even listed in the drop down menus. Bummer. They look cool.
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