With escalating gas prices, fuel economy is on closely everyone’s mind; the decision to go with a hybrid or a highly effective non-electrified vehicle is getting progressively challenging to analyze.
Chevrolet decisive to forgo electric assistance on their latest addition to the Cruze family when supplying the 2012 Cruze Eco. Eco achieves class-leading fuel economy, yet it is drivers never detect or realize any negative impacts from these enhancements as equated to the non-Eco model.
Cruze Eco’s bountifully comfortable features surpassed our expectation for this price point. The fresh exterior design sparkled on our Crystal Red Tintcoat test vehicle, and we enjoyed the high level of safety and engineering science features general on all Eco models.
One element of the Eco model that we suspected would change was performance; how glad we were to be wrong!
Design
The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco’s exterior is intimate to any person who has seen the hot-selling Cruze sedan on local streets; those with a keen eye attentive to detail, however, will observe that the front of the Cruze Eco is somewhat dissimilar than other Cruze models.
What one doesn’t observe with a cursory look is that the Cruze Eco incorporates and reflects enhancements developed and refined in more than 500 hours of wind tunnel testing of the wondrous Chevy Volt with which it shares it is core architecture.
Aerodynamic enhancements include more blocked subdivisions in the honeycomb grille surrounding the Chevrolet bowtie, while the lower grille incorporates adaptable louvers that open and close mechanically thru a little electric motor. Louvre position depends on input variables including outside temperature and vehicle speed, permitting them to stay open at city speeds to improve engine cooling, while closing at highway speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag.
Additionally, a lasting rubber extension was added to the lower air dam, a lip-spoiler was mounted onto the edge of the trunk, the ride height was lowered, and portions of the underbody were closed off with plastic panels to make sure air flows with no problems or difficulties under the vehicle.
Aside from aero improvements, another contributor to scaled down drag is the use of ultra-low rolling resistance 17-inch Goodyear tires mounted on lightweight alloy wheels, saving 21.2 pounds over the Cruze 1LT tire/wheel combo. Body weight was likewise shed, 214 pounds to be exact, by reducing weld flanges by 1 mm, and reducing sheet metal thickness by 0.1mm in select areas while being sure to preserve structural integrity.
As a result of these aero enhancements, aerodynamic drag was scaled down by 10 percent over the non-Eco models, with a coefficient of drag of 0.298.
“We left no stone unturned or piece of sheet metal un-weighed,” said Chuck Russell, Vehicle Line Director of Compact Cars at General Motors. “Our engineers were comprehensive and exhaustive when it came to assessing and modifying the distinct features of the car’s performance that bestow to fuel economy.”
The athletic stance of the Cruze is complemented by short front and rear overhangs which grab and capture the sporty look of wheels to the corners. The headlight housings wrap around the front corners and sweep upward into the flexing fenders, flowing superbly into the global face of Chevrolet: the two-tier grille sporting the classic bowtie atop it is athletic fit, tapered vest.
The arching roofline connects a steeply raked windshield and fast-sloping C-pillars making the Cruze look sporty, almost coupe-like from a great deal of angles. The rear carries the lip spoiler at the end of the trunk, an LED center-mounted brake light, and Chevrolet’s Eco badge. We would’ve liked to see an all-LED taillight design, to stand out and reduce the load on the battery.
FtD
Our time with the 2012 Cruze Eco was an sheer joy. Clear skies, a six-speed manual, and a 1.4L turbocharged engine underneath a gleaming hood proved that green may still be mean. Zero sacrifice was made in the fun element division as we acutely carved the fresh spring air along the serpentine coastline roads of Lake Ontario’s Seaway Trail.
The only engine available on the Cruze Eco churns out 138 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque among 1,850 RPM and 4,900 RPM, and is mated to a general six-speed manual. Gearing is optimized for the Eco’s specific 17-inch wheel/tire combining and includes aggressive ratios for introductory and second gear coupled with a highly efficient, “taller” sixth-gear symmetry for highway driving. This means engine rpm is scaled down on the highway, which in turn reduces fuel consumption. With an EPA rating of 28 MPG in the city, 42 MPG on the highway, the manual Cruze Eco is the most fuel-efficient gas powered/non-hybrid car in America.
Opting for the six-speed automatic sucks up numerous of that efficiency, bringing the automatic ratings to 26 MPG in the city, 39 MPG on the highway.
The Cruze Eco Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires handled curves and fast braking situations with aplomb, and overall road noise levels were good. We noticed a bit of wind noise at highway speeds, but it was neither annoyingly high-pitched, nor something that would be bothersome on long trips.
Steering is controlled thru rack-mounted electric power steering, meaning no more power steering liquid or pump maintenance worries; one less load from an engine-driven accessory translates to even more efficiency.
Interior
The interior is all modern-day Chevrolet, with a dual-cockpit design up front and large, well-bolstered seats with six-way manual adjustment for the driver and passenger. The nicely grained, soft-touch upper dash with mesh fabric flowing from door to door is a very cool touch, while piano black and texture metallic trim add style to the center of the dash. At night, we were mesmerized by the intense LED illumination of all the controls and instrumentation in Chevrolet’s signature blue lighting.
The leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, padded center solace with storage, and padded elbow rests on the doors exude quality and ease when on long drives, while ordinary cruise control and power everything make operating the Cruze Eco a knob twist or button press away.
Storage pockets in the doors, center console storage with USB inputs, two 12V sockets, a big glove box, and generous cup holders round out the areas of the interior we used most often.
The Cruze Eco comes with a tilt/telescoping steering column with audio controls, remote keyless entry, power windows and locks, and driver selective information system display with trip computer. We love the driver info displays in newer GM vehicles for their capacity to show a digital readout of the vehicle speed, a function that was on sure vehicles 30 years ago and then disappeared.
One peculiarly valuable and distinguishable readout is a scoring scheme which rates how expeditiously the driver performed as equated to their best and intermediate fuel economies.
The rear of the Cruze was unexpectedly roomy for a vehicle measuring just over 180 inches long. We’d be altogether fine with not driving or riding shotgun in the Cruze, with a great deal of leg, head, and hip room for two people, and a slight squeeze for three.
Trunk capacity measures in at 15.4 cubic feet, with much of it made usable thanks to rectangular shaped and little gooseneck hinges. Space may be increased by folding the 60/40-split rear seats, though it won’t be utterly flat.
Don’t look for a spare tire in the Cruze Eco. A spare and affiliated paraphernalia add a significant amount of weight, and like a good deal of other vehicles today, is available as an option.
But you have OnStar, so you’re set – just push the blue button and grab a humane life ring.
The 2012 Cruze Eco comes with a six-speaker sound scheme with AUX and USB inputs, along with SiriusXM satellite radio and a CD player for those who still prefer higher-quality music.
Bluetooth is standard, but we much prefer to use OnStar with Hands-Free Calling, as we found the call quality to be far superior to any smartphone cellular connection and more like a landline. Better yet, it’s always there if your phone isn’t on-hand or the battery is low and you need to conserve.
We had the probability to test OnStar’s Turn-by-Turn directions service various times, and enjoyed talking to a real person WHILE driving to get directions to our destination downloaded to the vehicle without buttons, menus, or knobs to fiddle with while pressured. It’s simple, and in our opinion, will have to be installed on each vehicle rather of complex mixing up navigation schemes that age poorly, act up, can not be safely operated while driving, and reduce nighttime acuity and imaginativeness by saturating the retina with overly bright and busy screens.
Besides the extraordinary advisor services, OnStar also offers the capacity to carry out remote functions on the Cruze Eco including remote start, door unlock/locking, and vehicle data such as tire pressure and remaining oil life.
Safety
Cruze offers more usual safety features than any vehicle in it is class, each contributing to Chevrolet’s goal of protecting passengers before, for the duration of and after a crash. Underbody main rails extend from the front of the structure to the rear, heightening the body’s strength and stiffness, while a cross-structure beam behind the instrument panel supports the body for the duration of side-impact crashes.
To aid in preventing an accident, active schemes like StabiliTrak electronic stability control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes work in harmoniousness with daytime running lamps and automatic headlamps to increase visibility to other drivers and pedestrians.
A rollover sensing scheme is likewise general and in the event of one, keeps the side curtain airbags inflated for a longer amount of time of time.
The Cruze Eco is the only car in the compact segment with 10 airbags, including frontal driver and passenger airbags, roof rail-mounted head curtain side air bags that help protect the front and outboard rear seating positions, seat-mounted side-impact air bags (front and rear), and front knee air bags.
After a crash, the Cruze Eco is there once again with OnStar engineering science that includes Automatic Crash Response and Injury Severity Prediction. This feature helps OnStar consultants alert original responders when a vehicle crash is likely to have caused severe injury to the occupants.
Conclusion
Just in case you couldn’t tell, the big story with regards to the Cruze Eco is fuel economy. With mileage numbers that exceeded EPA ratings, and a comfortable, high-quality and quiet interior, the Cruze Eco felt underpriced to us.
Hovering around $20K dressed with Crystal Red Tintcoat paint, the Cruze makes real-world financial sense for those seeking a larger, practical four-door that earns top fuel economy, handles well, and comes equipped with unmatched engineering and safety equipment.
Cruze means “cross”, and in so numerous ways the Cruze has shown itself as a savior for GM, Chevrolet, and the people.
Cruze Eco saves, big time.
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