We've rented small diesel cars in France and were more than impressed with these cars. The Renault Cleo is available in a diesel and gets about 40 mpg. It isn't especially powerful, the transmission isn't quite right for the engine. On the other hand the Hyundai Getz Diesel is a great car, it gets about 50 mpg, has peppy acceleration, and seems done right. The combination of an efficient diesel engine and hybrid drive makes sense to me.
