To start the front fascia on the Eco has a new, wind tunnel-massaged front fascia complete with a first-in-class "Aero Shutter." The engine cooling air inlet area below the grill opens and shuts during different types of driving. During stop-and-go driving the aero shutter is open. However, at higher speeds (or highway speeds) when cooling the turbocharged engine isn't as much of an issue, the shutter shuts, allowing for a more efficient air stream and a lower drag coefficient.
There's also a slim lower chin spoiler and "tire blockers," which we typically call spats. Moving on to the rear, there's a new fascia back there that's also been wind tunnel tested for more reduced drag. Surface area is further decreased by lowering the car by 10 mm compared to other Cruzes. There's a full-body underpanel to keep air from getting hung up on stuff like the exhaust and suspension components, as well as ultra low resistance tires shared with the Volt. Finally, there's an ultra-tall 6th gear (the Cruze Eco is manual-only) that allows the rpms to greatly drop when the vehicle is at cruising speed.
As you may imagine, Chevy has also done its very best to reduce mass as much as possible, going to as far as to shave welds down by a millimeter. But here's the thing: while working on the body in white, Chevy discovered that the mass-saving measures they made to the Eco could easily be applied to other Cruze models, which means that the not-quite-yet-on sale Cruze will have across the board improved mileage. The Chevy Cruze should go on sale in the 3rd quarter of 2010 with the Eco making it out of the gate by the 4th quarter of this year.
Even though the Cruze is positioning itself as a high mileage vehicle, Chevrolet has made the decision not to totally decontent the Eco. According to Chevy, people's tastes are changing and they want high mileage vehicles to have lots of creature comforts. For instance, the Eco ships with 17-inch forged aluminum wheels.
[Source: Autoblog]