Cobalt XFE (extra fuel economy) gets 36 mpg

Faced with increasing CAFE standards in the coming years, Chevy has tweaked the mildly interesting Cobalt models (coupe and sedan) to get better fuel economy. The XFE versions - that stands for extra fuel economy - get an EPA estimated 36 mpg which is between three and five miles per gallon better than the non-XFE versions, according to Chevy (I assume 36 mpg is for highway driving). The official EPA numbers for next best Cobalt - the 4 cylinder, 2.2 L, manual 5-speed - are 33 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg in the city. Our friends at Autoblog mention that the fuel economy gains were achieved through upgraded engine mapping, the use of lower roller resistance tires and maybe some gearing adjustments. The XFE models will be branded with a little XFE badge. Any LS and 1LT five speed manual transmission Cobalts that were ordered on or before March 17th will be XFE versions.

[Source: Chevrolet via Autoblog]