Cruze adds deceleration fuel cutoff to save gas

According to Chevy, tt's a seamless process the driver and passengers don't notice when applied to the Cruze's advanced Ecotec engine.

The technology improves the Cruze’s fuel economy by about 2 percent, varying by the specifics of driving conditions and operator behavior. On a single tank of fuel, the system adds more than 17 miles of the range on the Cruze Eco model and more than 11 miles of range on the non-Eco Cruze models. It is a technology that saves money at the pump.

"The Cruze is packed with fuel-saving technologies," said Kai Loos, the development systems manager for the Cruze's 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. "These types of cost-effective technologies allow Chevrolet to offer customers a vehicle that achieves hybrid-like efficiency without the cost of the hybrid technology."

How it works:

DFCO is enabled when the accelerator is released and the vehicle is coasting. Through the integration of engine/transmission controls, the speed is carefully controlled during deceleration. Fuel automatically returns to the engine when the driver accelerates or when the engine speed approaches idle conditions. This technology is on Cruze models with both automatic and manual transmissions.

Chevrolet recently announced that 2012 Cruze models with the 1.4L turbo and six-speed automatic transmission will get 2 mpg better fuel economy. The Cruze Eco with an automatic transmission can get as much as 39-mpg on the highway as compared to 37 mpg in the 2011 model. Cruze Eco with the standard six-speed manual transmission remains the most fuel-efficient gas-only vehicle in America, with an EPA-rated 42 mpg on the highway, according to Chevrolet.

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