The all-new Chevrolet Cruze has made a big splash in the U.S. auto industry, but on water-logged roads? Not so much. That’s because Chevy engineers developed an innovative underbody splash shield to protect key Cruze components from potential road hazards.
Said Dave Schoener, a splash-test engineer with GM: “With the Cruze, you have a very comprehensive splash protector on an entry sedan that you typically wouldn’t see except in high-end luxury vehicles.”
He first suggested deploying the shields after extensive Cruze testing at GM’s new “Flooded Road Lab,” which was recently added to the automaker’s Milford (Mich.) Proving Ground at a cost of $1.4 million. The facility lived up to its name by allowing Chevy engineers to put the Cruze through its paces on a flooded road covered with up to 12 inches of standing water, while traveling at up to 35 mph.
According to Schoener, the underbody protection helps keep water, grit, salt and other potential contaminants away from the Cruze’s powertrain, and it’s a noticeable contributor to the Cruze’s high fuel-economy marks, too. The added aerodynamic benefits of the underbody shielding help the Cruze Eco reach a best-in-class 42 mpg with a fun-to-shift six-speed manual transmission or 39 mpg with GM’s advanced six-speed automatic.
Perhaps more importantly, it also represents another example of GM’s commitment to quality for the long haul, something Schoener—a marathon runner—knows all about.
“Just as I train to build endurance before each race, achieving long-term vehicle durability comes from putting the Cruze through its paces here at the Proving Ground,” he said. “We do intense durability testing to ensure our customers get top-quality vehicles they will enjoy for many years.”
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