The 2016 Cruze has all the MPGs

2016 Chevrolet Cruze

The mpg war is on in the compact segment as various automakers jockey for position as the non-hybrid leader in the class. Today, following a successful debut last year, the 2016 Chevy Cruze finally shows all of its cards, including its fuel economy. Believe me, the wait was worth it, as the 2016 Cruze even crushes GM’s initial estimates for fuel economy with EPA tests now complete.

The Cruze with the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which comes standard in the small sedan, plays a large role in the model getting a whopping 42 mpg highway with the auto transmission. In addition to its stellar highway fuel economy, EPA tests also put it at 35 mpg combined and 30 mpg city. For reference, that is encroaching on the 2015 Cruze Diesel’s 46 mpg highway and trumps its 27 mpg city and 33 mpg combined numbers. These numbers also crush the similarly equipped previous-gen Cruze’s ratings of 26 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined.

The engine isn’t all that played a role in increasing the Cruze’s fuel economy. GM engineers also reduced its aerodynamic drag to just 0.29 Cd, reduced its weight by up to 250 pounds, and added in an auto start/stop feature for city driving.

Buyers looking to pick up the manual-transmission-equipped Cruze can expect fuel economy to fall slightly to 29 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined. Also causing reduced fuel economy is choosing the range-topping Premium trim, which drops the rating to 40 mpg highway.

These crazy fuel economy numbers are great, but the biggest of the numbers will come in 2017 when Chevy reveals the new Cruze Diesel.

Stay tuned for more information.