In cars such as the A8, which are used predominantly for long-distance travel, aerodynamic drag also accounts for almost half of the running resistance. Therefore the frontal are is 2 square metres. Drag coefficient is like percentage. The drag coefficient is reduced by up to 5.7%, 7.16% and 22.2% by the side skirt, boat tail and cab-roof fairing, respectively. Aerodynamic drag plays an important role in customers’ driving behavior. Compare MSRP, invoice prices, crash test results, mileage and available transmissions side-by-side for up to 4 cars, trucks, minivans, vans or SUVs. Based on their aerodynamic design, hybrids have a head start in the race for fuel economy. In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: , or ) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is 1 metre tall and 2 metres wide. A low drag coefficient means larger range per charge for any vehicle. This drag figure of 0.28 is one of the best for an SUV and a big advantage for an electric vehicle. It is used in the drag equation in which a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or hydrodynamic drag. Imagine you are a mad inventor and you've built a box car that is like a rectangular cube. ... SUVs, which tend to be more boxy than cars because they're larger, accommodate more people, and often need bigger grilles to help cool the engine down, have a Cd of anywhere from .30 to .40 or more. Of course good aerodynamic performance increases efficiency and helps achieve a longer range. Tested in a wind tunnel, the drag coefficient is a measure of how air passes over the front of a car; the lower the drag, the more aerodynamic the car is. 0.24 drag coefficient means "it acts like a flat surface 24% of it's size". Tesla claims a drag coefficient 20% lower than the next best. Outfitted with the 4.2 FSI, the luxury sedan has a drag coefficient of 0.26 and a frontal area of 2.41 sq m (25.94 sq ft). ... How Aerodynamics Work. While a car’s drag coefficient (Cd) doesn’t tell its full aero efficiency story, because you always need to keep the size of its frontal area in mind, it is an important parameter in making a car efficient and fast - but we won’t be focusing on that here, as this article is centered solely around the coefficient itself. The US-spec GLA250 will have a drag coefficient of just 0.30 which, while not as sleek as something like a Tesla Model S, isn't bad for an SUV. Of course, less aerodynamic drag … Drivers near Phoenix, AZ in the market for a new SUV that offers both performance and luxury are in luck with Mercedes-Benz. A low coefficient is conducive to high top speed and low fuel consumption, while a higher drag coefficient is generally found in cars searching for high cornering speeds influenced by downforce.