[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

I own a 2012 chevy cruze eco blue topaz 6 speed manual it is completely stock and currently has 5,500 miles. I drive this car 375 miles per day 5 days a week and I just wanted to share my fuel economy experience and my driving habits with everyone else. My last few tanks I have been averaging exactly 49 mpg which has slowly been increasing from 45mpg over the past couple weeks as the engine has gotten a chance to break in after the initial 750 mile break in when I first bought the car brand new. Also I think the increase has to do with an increase in my cold tire pressure from 35 to 38psi which is where I plan to keep it at. And of course the little rise in temperature here in Idaho.

I drive the same route everyday so the only real change on a daily basis is the weather which varys anywhere from 15f to 50f with snow, blowing wind, rain etc.. everything you would expect from the mountains. Obviously these are winter temperatures and I expect to see a change here in the next couple of weeks as spring and summer approachs.

The terrain I drive is 95% freeway and highway starting at an elevation of 2500ft gradually making its way up to 5,250 ft over the course of 175 miles and then I turn around and make that same descent. For the most part the road I drive is straight with light traffic so I can maintain my speed. I drive @ speeds of 56 mph for 1 hr, 61 mph for 4 hours and 72 mph for 1hr 30 minutes all using cruise control. I fill up everyday using chevron regular 87 octane. My tire pressure is now at 38psi after increasing it from factory 35psi.

Like I stated earlier my last few tanks ive been averaging 49mpg with summer blend gas which gas stations will be using here in a few weeks and warmer spring 70f temperatures coming soon I have no doubt I will be averaging 50mpg tanks everyday which is my ultimate goal. This car is more then capable of mid 50's mpg on level terrain at speeds of 56-62 there is no doubt in my mind I see it everyday while driving.


If anyone has any questions about how I drive or where or anything about the car just ask.

 

[ErikBEggs]

Whoaaaaa 375 miles a day?????????? My butt hurts already.


Set up a fuelly, we would love to see all the numbers you put up!

 

[obermd]

Is this the DIC reported mpg or your pump to pump measurements? Either way it's excellent. I just reset one of my trip odometers and ran my 2012 ECO MT from Denver to Fountain CO and back, going over a 7200 ft "hill" on I-25 in both directions and my DIC reported 47.7 MPG for the round trip which should put me somewhat over 45 MPG pump to pump. The speed limit on I-25 for most of the trip is 75 and I actually averaged over 50 MPH for the trip. The route I took included about 25 miles at 65 or lower and 50 miles at 75 each way. I drove at or slightly above the speed limit the entire way. The ECO MTs appear to really like altitude.

 

[ChevyCruzeLTZ]

5 hours below 65, that takes a lot of will power!

 

[Dennis_Mn]

I filled up yesterday and noticed that my car reported 11.1 gallons and the pump reported 12.1 gals

I use fuelly to log my actual results. I have a 2LT with automatic. Mileage meets my expectations

 

[XtremeRevolution]

At first I was surprised, then I realized this is all highway driving. The EPA rating is for a 58mpg average, with a 20% reduction, and the kind of grades you're driving up and down explain why you aren't getting in the high 50s like other individual testers have been able to achieve. At 45-50mph consistently, you can actually average ~65mpg if not higher with higher tire pressure.

I would invite you to have a read through this thread:
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/27-fuel-economy/5733-tire-psi-max-mpgs.html

Welcome to cruzetalk!

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

I plan on setting up a fuelly account soon. Yes the reported 49mpg is from the DIC but even so this spring and summer when temperatures rise and the summer blend gas is being pumped from the stations I am fairly confident I will be reporting 50mpg from my miles and actual fuel used. I have just been a bit lazy recently not actually doing the math at the pump. But I plan on adding my miles and gallons used and reporting back on this thread. Im pretty sure its still going to be close to 49mpg for now.

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

At first I was surprised, then I realized this is all highway driving. The EPA rating is for a 58mpg average, with a 20% reduction, and the kind of grades you're driving up and down explain why you aren't getting in the high 50s like other individual testers have been able to achieve. At 45-50mph consistently, you can actually average ~65mpg if not higher with higher tire pressure.

This is exactly why I have so much respect for this car.

I have noticed this engine is extremely sensitive to the terrain. If the road your driving on is barely rising in elevation you wouldnt notice but you can see it on your instant MPG display. The same goes for when the road is decreasing in elevation because your DIC is showing 60-80mpg and even 99mpg if the grade is steep enough. Im not surprised by the high 50 to mid 60's mpg I see it all the time on the roads I drive its just more difficult to actually average.


Speaking of how sensitive this car is. Last week the wind was gusting accross the freeways and as I was driving sagebrush was making its way across the road and of course I was dodging them as best as I could but 2 or 3 eventually crossed paths with my car. About 15 minutes after hitting the sagebrush I noticed an indicator light on my display screen so I dialed up onstar and asked for a vehicle diagnosis. The onstar tech told me there was a code coming up which had to do with my areo grille shutter which made sense. Turns out there was a stick lodged in my front areo grill preventing the shutter from opening and closing. Anyways just goes to show how sensitive this car is. Im driving paranoid now its only a matter of time before I hit a bump my air bags deploy and onstar is on the radio asking if I have been in an accident.

 

[cruzeman]

The best I get the dic to say is 44 but the real calculation comes out to 38-40 and that's all back road driving doing 60 mph

 

[XtremeRevolution]

I plan on setting up a fuelly account soon. Yes the reported 49mpg is from the DIC but even so this spring and summer when temperatures rise and the summer blend gas is being pumped from the stations I am fairly confident I will be reporting 50mpg from my miles and actual fuel used. I have just been a bit lazy recently not actually doing the math at the pump. But I plan on adding my miles and gallons used and reporting back on this thread. Im pretty sure its still going to be close to 49mpg for now.

The DIC is proven inaccurate here by just about everyone. The amount varies, but its 5-10% inaccurate. Just so you are aware... I'm expecting your calculations to come in at 44-47mpg.

The best I get the dic to say is 44 but the real calculation comes out to 38-40 and that's all back road driving doing 60 mph

I managed to get some pretty incredible numbers this week after inflating tires to max sidewall and using the methods in the thread in my signature.

97.3 miles driven, 52.8mpg average, 33.4mph average. I never got on the highway or exceeded 55mph. This was taken yesterday.

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

You know what im going to go fill up my car right now and see how many gallons I put back in it.

Can we really assume that when the fuel pump automatically shuts off its shutting off at the exact same time it does every time we fill up ? Or is it possible for us to be putting in more or less fuel then we actually used because of the automatic shutoff ?



Allright just filled up. DIC shows 332 miles driven 6.7 gallons used. The fuel pump shutoff at 6.9 gallons. I was able to continue to 7 gallons even with a few extra squeezes. I am not exaggerating at all I have the receipt right here. So using those numbers the automatic shuttoff puts it at 48mpg which im still very pleased with.

 

[obermd]

5 hours below 65, that takes a lot of will power!

Or a highway with a lot of bored smokies with portable hair driers. (description stolen from somewhere, but I liked it)

 

[obermd]

Can we really assume that when the fuel pump automatically shuts off its shutting off at the exact same time it does every time we fill up ? Or is it possible for us to be putting in more or less fuel then we actually used because of the automatic shutoff ?

You can't assume that the first click off is always at the same fill level. From 20+ years of tracking pump to pump fillups, I have discovered, in descending order of importance, that speed of the fill, back pressure on the pump if it has one of those stupid ozone reducing collars, how level is your car while filling, ambient air temp and barometric pressure all impact the first click off. However, over time, it will average out.

 

[sciphi]

Believable. My last tank was 47 mpg (hand-calculated) doing mostly highway driving.

Yes, this engine is sensitive to terrain. Going downhill, it'll DFCO for a few minutes if the terrain is right.

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

Very well.

 

[XtremeRevolution]

You can't assume that the first click off is always at the same fill level. From 20+ years of tracking pump to pump fillups, I have discovered, in descending order of importance, that speed of the fill, back pressure on the pump if it has one of those stupid ozone reducing collars, how level is your car while filling, ambient air temp and barometric pressure all impact the first click off. However, over time, it will average out.

I agree entirely. There will be a few variations, but over time, it will average out and it will be accurate. I'd keep up what you're doing as its clearly working very well. You're now in hybrid territory.

 

[Jewel Red 5]

WOW 375 miles a day how long do cars last you with that mileage?

 

[XtremeRevolution]

WOW 375 miles a day how long do cars last you with that mileage?

Most people who drive that often actually seem to have their cars last quite a long time.

This guy delivered seafood for a living long-distance with his Silverado.

eBay Find of the Day: Frank's "Million Mile" Chevy Silverado

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

WOW 375 miles a day how long do cars last you with that mileage?

Thats impossible for me to answer considering im 29 and this is my first new car. But with proper maintenance, a little luck and some love I dont see why this car wont still be turning over at million miles.

Im a courier driver and actually thinking about taking a route that would require me to drive 600 miles per day 5 days a week. I cant say what for but at 7.50 an hour 0.05 cents per mile and 25mpg fuel conpensation which I average 48mpg and profit the difference let me tell you its not a bad little way to make a living if you enjoy driving. Sure your behind the wheel 50 hours but its one **** of an office view that makes it all worth it especially when the environment is as beautiful as it is here where I live in the pacific northwest.

 

[obermd]

I assume you're single. At 600 miles a day, you would have to average 75MPH for an 8 hour work day. If you enjoy it, go for it, but I would strongly recommend spending the money to get the spare tire in addition to the air pump. With the air pump you don't need to keep your spare fully inflated all the time. Half pressure should do the trick to keep the spare on its rim. If you need it, fill it up after putting it on the car. If you have the space you may want to get a full rim & spare as the donut spare really handles poorly.