Scientific Journal of Mechanical Engineering Kinematika
Vol 11 No 1 (2026): SJME Kinematika June 2026

EFFECT OF SUV BODY GEOMETRY ON AERODYNAMIC DRAG AND FUEL EFFICIENCY USING CFD

Arifin Oktobrian Winanta (Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta)
Dewandono Bayu Seto (Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta)
Onery Andi Saputra (Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Mar 2026

Abstract

The increasing demand for fuel efficiency in the automotive industry, particularly in the sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment, has intensified research on factors influencing vehicle energy efficiency. One of the most important factors is vehicle aerodynamic performance, especially air resistance characterized by the drag coefficient. This study analyzes the influence of SUV body shape variations on aerodynamic performance and fuel consumption using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Two SUV models with different body geometries, namely boxy and streamlined configurations, were analyzed under identical operating conditions to ensure a consistent comparison. The simulation results show that the streamlined model reduces the drag coefficient from 0.46 to 0.325, corresponding to an approximate 29% reduction compared to the boxy configuration. This aerodynamic improvement is associated with better fuel efficiency, particularly at higher vehicle speeds. At a speed of 120 km/h, the streamlined configuration achieves a fuel efficiency of 13.2 km/L, while the boxy configuration reaches only 9.03 km/L under the same conditions. These findings indicate that optimizing vehicle body geometry through aerodynamic design can significantly improve fuel efficiency and reduce aerodynamic resistance in SUV vehicles.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

kinematika

Publisher

Subject

Automotive Engineering Energy Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Materials Science & Nanotechnology Mechanical Engineering

Description

Scientific Journal of Mechanical Engineering Kinematika (SJME Kinematika) is a mechanical engineering journal that focuses on Energy, Applied Mechanics, Materials, Manufacturing Processes. SJME Kinematics journal publish in Indonesian and receive in English. Scientific Journal of Mechanical ...