Considering leaving TDi for Prius......

Welcome!
The Prius excels at fuel economy for those that do not start like a jackrabbit and speed. The newer Prius generation (2016 & 2017 liftback) seems to have better fuel economy. The upper trim levels of the Prius have more luxury features.
If she needs more space than the Liftback, there is a station wagon Prius v or the RAV4 Hybrid SUV. They are less economical and are the Generation 3 system The RAV4 has AWD.

The new Prius Prime plugin is a 4 seater. It can be much more economical, especially if she can plug in at work to recharge.

For mainly city driving, there is the smaller Prius c which is also currently third generation.

It definitely pays to do your research. Some people do not like the look of the newer Prius or the Prius Prime.

 

I don't think you'll go wrong. I drove TDIs and traded the last one in on a Prius, before the sheet hit the fan.

 

Here is a thread with a picture of their "overweight Prius". (RAV4)

So happy with the Prius.... | PriusChat

 

My son has had 4 small Papillons along with dog show supplies & luggage for 2 people in his 2015 Prius v station wagon.

 

and welcome! I think she would be happy with a Prius/other hybrid is she gets the right one.

I have the v wagon. It has tons of space. Actually slightly more than the older bigger and boxier ford escapes! I love driving it in the city with its smooth acceleration and great gas mileage (46 mpg in town) but I'm honestly not a big fan of the lager wagon out on the open road, and up hills and such. It has the same engine as the regular Prius but the wagon is lager and heavier. So you hear the engine a lot. So that might not be the best for her, especially since diesels do well with hills.

I personally think the RAV4 hybrid is fantastic. Compared to the regular RAV4 it's faster, gets better gas mileage, smoother, and it is heavier and feels more substantial.

I also had a 2012 Prius two lift back. It was fantastic. I got 57 mpg from Nashville to Cincinnati with the cruise control set to 72 mph.

If you want a sedan, I'd look at a used 2013+ Ford Fusion hybrid. They have decent power and feel very heavy and German in my opinion. They use the same style hybrid system as Toyota and get around 40 something mpg. They even make a Fusion plug in hybrid that can go 15-20 miles before the gas engine turns on. After that it's a hybrid. The only problem is they truck is small on the 2013 + plug in. They are cheap though! On cars.com starting around $13,000-14,000

A lot of rambling.. Hope this helps!

 

Also! Lexus makes a sporty handling hatch with the same drivetrain that is in the Prius. It's called the CT200h

 

I would expect Prius reliability from that too.

 

Yes the CT200h is ultra reliable

 

If luxury is a priority, I would definitely take a look at the Lexus CT200H, ES300H, and Toyota Camry hybrid. It was and still is difficult for me moving from an econobox Civic to a Prius. It's not like I am used to luxury but even from a Civic, the noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) was a tad higher on the Prius. The most frustratig thing is rattle noise. Anything in the cup holder causes rattle.

There's NVH and then the nearly $10k price delta just made the pill harder to swallow that I am not getting more luxury for my money. It's the hybrid premium and I'll pay it. It doesn't mean I'm happy about it. The 3 cars I listed above trades in thriftiness for comfort. Your call.

 

The 2017 Prius Lift-back & Prime have many safety features as standard.

 

I would not want three large dogs in a Camry.

 

The ES300, or the CT200H?

 

I bet a regular style liftback back would get fantastic gas mileage on her commute. Also, have you considered a Chevrolet Volt? Since she is coming from a TDI she is used to the low end torque. I recently drove a 2017 and at 30 miles an hour it could still make the tires screech! Absolutely wonderful. They have a very good track record for reliability. Some owners say they can even get 60-70 miles of on one charge is it is driven easily!

Just putting ideas out here for you, as I would hope someone would do the same for me.

 

Here's a picture of the newer Volt.