Chevy Cruze Eco

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

FORGET TO UN-PLUG it before you drive off!!!!

I'll second that...

[99LeCouch]

I did okay last winter. The other driver whose car is getting an oil pan heater might need a reminder or two...

[99LeCouch]

The Eco MT has 2 ways of maximizing FE while coasting. Most common is to scale the injector pulse width way back to inject just a tiny amount of fuel. It does have a true DFCO, but it takes a bit of time to engage. The ignition timing on the SGII goes to 40+ degrees when the IPW's are scaled back, then goes to -1 to -7 when it's in DFCO. I've gotten better at forcing DFCO to engage by shifting to a higher gear when going downhill or approaching to a stop sign. It's great to see my average FE leap up on the SGII when it's in DFCO.

[99LeCouch]

Filled up again, and 45.2 mpg. This car is the real deal for a FE dedicated driver.

[99LeCouch]

First "eco" mod: 150 watt oil pan heater. Not tested to see if it works yet, but it's installed. The oil pan is wrapped around the exhaust so the oil heats up faster. That means there's little flat room on the bottom of the pan. I installed it on the side of the pan where there was room, and a flat enough surface. Not ideal, but it's where it was doable. If it's up on ramps again soon, I'll snap a picture of the oil pan and my far-from-pretty install. Not like anybody's going to see it...

[99LeCouch]

Update: I darn near got 50 mpg highway coming from Erie, PA on I-86 back home. No hypermiling used, just setting the cruise control at 62 mph and letting it roll. Well, I did DFCO down the hill to my exit. I can get 50 mpg during parts of my commute, even with stop signs and traffic lights clogging up the in-town part.

The last tank was 46 mpg calculated by hand, and the current tank looks pretty good also. I'm quite impressed with this car's fuel economy, and how it drives.

A few dash rattles have cropped up, and they're hopefully being addressed shortly. Aside from that, it's been a very pleasant car.

[oldertech]

That's great news on the Cruze!

I test drove a Cruze Eco yesterday and it's on my next car consideration list. I'm also considering the Sonic with 1.4 and having a tough time deciding between the two. If the Cruze Eco came as a hatchback in the US, it would be a no-brainer -the Cruze would be the obvious choice. I'd be upset if I got the Sonic, and next year they expanded their ECO line and did mods on the Sonic.

I was curious on your pan heater thoughts. When considering the pan heater, should the usage of electricity be considered in the grand scale of things, as to if the efficiency of the car will be increased in a proportional amount? After all, the electricity costs something.


Scott

[99LeCouch]

The pan heater is like running a 150 watt lightbulb for a few hours every morning. For the 50 cents a month or whatever cheap price it costs to run, it's a great way to increase winter fuel economy on the cheap. It's cheaper than a $3.80 gallon of gas.

I don't think they'll do any mods to the Sonic since they have the Cruze to sell. With the diesel Cruze slated for next year as the Eco-D, they're pushing the Cruze Ecos as the fuel-efficient cars in the lineup. Making a Sonic Eco would undercut their marketing of the Cruze.

The 1.4 with a manual transmission is a great engine. My Cruze has all the power I could want, and then gets low-mid 40's for average fuel economy when the power isn't needed. Getting the slushbox knocks 3 mpg off, and it's extremely hard to recover.

[tjts1]

Why is the cruze so damn heavy?

[PaleMelanesian]

Good question. The special edition Cruze Eco with weight reductions is still heavier than any other of the competition. It shows in the city mpg rating, too.