Chevrolet Cruze Eco Achieves 64 mpg on 9,500-mile Trip

The Cruze remains one of the best-selling products in Chevrolet’s lineup, so the American carmaker uses every occasion to bring the vehicle back in the spotlights. This time, Chevrolet proudly stepped in front of the media and announced a new efficiency record, as an Australian couple managed to achieve a fuel consumption rating of 64 mpg during a 23-day, 9,552 mile trip.

John and Helen Taylor took an unmodified Chevrolet Cruze Eco and traveled through 48 contiguous states, in the end getting a mileage of 64.42 mpg. This is 50 percent better than the EPA estimate of 42 miles per gallon highway for a Cruze Eco manual, said Chevrolet in a press release issued today, underlining that its model is the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered car in the United States, excluding hybrids and diesels.

Cruze Eco is powered by an Ecotec 1.4 turbo engine that’s capable of reaching the same fuel economy rating as a smaller engine, but providing at the same time the power drivers would expect from a bigger unit. In terms of performance, the aforementioned configuration delivers a maximum output of 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque (200 Nm) between 1,850 and 4,9000 rpm.

If the engine is matted to a six-speed manual transmission, the Cruze Eco could reach an efficiency level of 28 mpg city and 42 mpg highway, while the automatic unit lowers the figures a little bit to 26 mpg city and 39 mpg highway.

Rumors suggest General Motors is also planning to introduce a diesel version of the Cruze that would achieve 50 mpg (4.7 l/100km), with the debut scheduled for 2013.