# GM Tester gets 900 miles on 1 tank in Cruze Diesel



## Eugene_C (Mar 15, 2012)

Tessa Baughman didn't exactly set any speed records on a recent visit to her Arkansas family from Michigan, unless you factor in the time saved on not filling up a few times.

The energy engineer for the Chevy Cruze Diesel, interviewed in a short General Motors video (availablebelow), said she was able to go 900 miles on a single tank during the first leg of the drive. The catch is that she drove "five below speed limit" the whole way down, but she certainly more than backed up the EPA's Cruze Diesel fuel-economy rating of 46 miles per gallon, the best of any non-hybrid vehicle. Heck, that's a well-north-of-50 mpg pace for the model, which comes equipped with low rolling-resistance tires, a six-speed automatic transmission, tire deflectors and other fuel-saving features.

Baughman went at a slightly brisker pace on the way back, i.e. with the flow of traffic, but was still able to wring 800 miles between fill-ups. We're guessing there were no speeding tickets involved, either.

Read more and see video:

Chevy engineer squeezes 900 miles from one tank in 2014 Cruze Diesel


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

What the **** are tire deflectors? And I get decent long trip mileage in my Eco. 










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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Nice to see that it'll comfortably beat 50 mpg when driven normally, and even better when trying.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

CruzeTech said:


> What the **** are tire deflectors? And I get decent long trip mileage in my Eco.


Tire deflectors are small pieces of plastic hanging down in front of each tire. They're about an inch "tall" and deflect air away from the tire tread. The purpose is to reduce air turbulence at the tire, improving fuel economy. Most high MPG vehicles have them.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

CruzeTech said:


> What the **** are tire deflectors? And I get decent long trip mileage in my Eco.


...sometimes called tire "spats":


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Ah, I see them on mine now, gotcha


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Wow! That's awesome. I love the Cruze. Private message me if you are thinking about buying one and would like for me to locate one in your area!

Jackie 
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## titan2782 (Nov 4, 2011)

They must have used the fuel tank mod  http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-how-library/12035-how-15-6-gallons-into-eco-mt-tank.html


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I think the Cruze ECO-D doesn't have the artificial limit on the tank capacity.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

Playing with the numbers:

• if she drove the tank "dry" (ie, used all 15.6 gallons) that'd be *57.7* mpg _going_ (900 miles) and *51.3* mpg _returning_ (800 miles)!

• if she drove until the "low fuel" lamp came on (ie, about 13.6 gallons, ~2 gallons reserve) that'd be *66.2* mpg _going_ (900 miles) and *58.8* mpg _returning_ (800 miles)!

...either way, those are awsome numbers!


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

The employees at Lordstown Stamping mentioned this story as well.


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## Eugene_C (Mar 15, 2012)

I got 50+ mpg back in the 80s in my old diesel VW rabbit. But that car only had 52 hp and 89 lb-ft of torque! LOL. I remember that I had difficulty maintaining even 65 mph on some of the hills on the interstates in Pennsylvania, and sometimes I had to pull into the slow lane.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

Eugene_C said:


> I got 50+ mpg back in the 80s in my old diesel VW rabbit. But that car only had 52 hp and 89 lb-ft of torque! LOL. I remember that I had difficulty maintaining even 65 mph on some of the hills on the interstates in Pennsylvania, and sometimes I had to pull into the slow lane.


Same story with the 1981 Chevette Diesel that I briefly owned -- a "Kansas (flatland) Kruiser" only, definitely not a "Pikes Peak (Mtn) Puller."


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