Wondering how the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model manages to hit 42 mpg on the highway? Lucky for you General Motors has put together this short video showing how the Cruze Eco model manages to hit 42 mpg on the highway with some significant fuel-saving modifications.
If you asked some people around the dealership who was playing in the Super Bowl I don’t know if they could tell you it was the Green Bay Packers vs the Pittsurgh Steelers. But, if you asked them if they were going to watch the game they would respond yes. Most Americans tune in to watch the Super Bowl not for the actual game itself but the commercials. Since the superbowl is one of the most watched television events it drives the highest value for TV commercials. The average Super Bowl commercial averages about $2.7 million for just 30 seconds. Now I personally can think of a lot of things that 2.7 million dollars would give me and each one of those last longer than 30 seconds.
Chevrolet announced a few weeks back that they were planning on spending quite a bit of money for this exposure. After most Super Bowls many people at work sit around the water cooler not talking about the highlights of the game but what Super Bowl Commercial they thought was the funniest. Over the years there has been many clever commercials that have had people talking for days. Chevrolet decided to release some of the commercials that will be airing during Sundays games.
We have put each commercial spot in order in which we thought was the best.
“Misunderstanding Chevrolet Cruze Eco 43 MPG”
“Tommy, Chevrolet Silverado 2500”
“2011 Chevrolet Camaro Miss Evelyn”
“Transformers Al’s Chevrolet”
“Discovery Chevrolet Volt”
“Facebook Status Chevrolet Cruze”
Now that we have put in order what our favorite Chevrolet commercials where, comment and let us know what your favorite commercial was!
Many people in the car industry want to know how the Chevrolet Cruze Eco gets 43 MPG on the hwy. People are stumped by this because the Eco is not a clean diesel nor a hybrid, so is the number inflated by Chevrolet or does the Chevrolet Cruze get 43-MPG. Well we are proud to say that the number is NOT inflated and the Cruze Eco really does get 43 MPG. So what is the secret for the Cruze to get such amazing fuel saving numbers.
Chevrolet wanted to address three key areas to maximize fuel efficiency. The specific areas of focus to help get the Cruze Eco to 43-MPG was to work on the aero-dymanics, make the Cruze lighter and fine tune the engine.
The first place they started was aero-dynamics. Chevrolet and its engineers put an under body covering or tray to reduce wind turbulence and control airflow under the tires. The next step was to close off the front grille but still maintaining the correct engine temperature. One of the biggest tricks that Chevy came up with was when the Cruze Eco reaches about 38 MPH and calculating temperature gauges throughout the car a set of slates drop down in the front bumper area to help the Cruze to drop its coefficient of drag by over 10% compared to the sedan. Now think of this set of slates dropping like the Bugatti Veryon’s spoiler that magically appears when it reaches certain speeds.
The egineers wanted to put the Cruze Eco on a diet and drop as much weight as possible, but they were only to drop the weight by 214 lbs. Over 42 changes were made to shed the 214 Lbs.
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco comes with a 1.4L turbo-charged four-cylinder engine with a 6-speed manual transmission. To save a little extra fuel the air conditioning compressor now has a clutch to reduce drag on the engine. Also, there is an intelligent charging system set up that only engages the alternator when needed.
Now there isn’t much difference cosmetically from the Chevrolet Cruze and the Cruze Eco. There is not graphics down the side like the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrids. If you were to put the Eco next to one of our many Cruzes on the lot you would only notice the difference with the green Eco logo on the back and the slightly modified grille in the front.
At Art Gamblin Motors we are excited about the new Chevrolet Cruze Eco and its staggering 43-MPG hwy. We suggest if you are in the market for a gas saving vehicle to put the Cruze Eco on your list, we know you won’t be disappointed.