2014 Chevy Cruze ECO Test Drive Video Review

When the Chevrolet Cruze came to market in 2011 it was the best compact car General Motors had ever produced. With its definitive good looks, intelligent packaging, handsome interior treatment, and solid road manners, the Chevrolet Cruze proved GM could get it right. The 2014 models find a diesel residing at the top of their heap, but before there was a Cruze Diesel, the fuel economy champion in the Cruze lineup was the Chevrolet Cruze Eco. Fitted with low rolling resistance tires, special aerodynamic aids to reduce its wind resistance, and a smaller fuel tank (to save weight) the Cruze Eco returns 28 miles per gallon in the city, 42 on the highway, and 33 combined when fitted with a six-speed manual transmission. The shiftless Cruze Eco does rather well too; it gets 26 in the city, 39 on the highway and 31 combined. In other words, this car lives up to its nomenclature. Power comes from a turbocharged 1.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine fitted with direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. Naturally, being an economy car, it’s perfectly happy running on regular unleaded fuel. Maximum output is 138 horsepower and 148 ft-lbs of torque.