I was hoping to get some advice. I'm in the market for a new car (I'm definitely buying used) and I want better gas mileage. I'm considering a 2006 prius, but I'm also considering a 2006 golf TDI. I've never owned a diesel (not really even driven them much) and wanted to see generally what people thought about the comparison. The main reason I'm considering it is that I've got a long highway commute and I don't do a lot of city driving so a diesel might work better for me. I'd appreciate any feedback, particularly on the diesel! Here are the two specific cars: Diesel or Hybrid?
Just to add a little confusion to the equation, there is a VW turbo diesel model available in Canada that can get better fuel economy than the Prius, in highway driving. I don't know whether it can be sold, even used, in Granola Land (California). It might be worth looking into. If I had to vote for the two choices you have cited, the Prius would win easily. Just balance the differences between Toyota and VW considering service and customer care by the manufacturer.
You should consider the fact that diesel fuel is 20-50 cents a gallon higher than regular when you're weighing the fuel economy issue. It seems to me that the real issue isn't FE, but cost per mile of driving. I'd bet the Prius would win on that consideration. I'm driving a 2006 Prius, and it's wonderful. I've got 25K miles on it, and I'm getting 50+ MPG on my in-town commute (mostly freeway). I get to cheat a bit, since I have carpool stickers, so there isn't a lot of stop and go on the freeway. Stop and go traffic kills the FE.
diesel is closer to .80 higher per gallon us average at the moment 3.937 (regular) diesel 4.723 source: US DOE web site prices as of 5/26/08
