Gas vs. Diesel vs. Hybrid Power

Diesel are probably the best choice for saving money on fuel while retaining interior space, horsepower and torque. They could surge in the US market once the the new low sulfur standard for diesel fuel goes into effect, mitigating a major drawback -- emissions.
Gas vs. Diesel vs. Hybrid Power - MSN Autos:
by Ann Job --
"...But even if drivers maximize their fuel savings and get the full 13-mpg benefit in the Hybrid, they'd need about 16 years of 15,000-mile annual travel before the gasoline savings--estimated at $2.25 a gallon--would recoup the $4,300 extra they paid for the Hybrid over the Civic LX.
On-road testing by Popular Mechanics magazine--comparing a Civic Hybrid with a higher-priced, uplevel Civic EX--showed a similar result. Magazine officials took the cars on a cross-country run and concluded the Hybrid saved about a penny a gallon in fuel costs.
Thus, buyers of the Hybrid would need to travel 144,000 miles--about 9.5 years at the 15,000-mile-a-year national average rate--to recoup the approximately $2,000 price difference in these cars, Popular Mechanics said...
The diesel Passat's fuel economy rating is 27/38 mpg, for a combined 32.5 mpg, and compares with 21/30, for a combined 25.5 mpg, in the gasoline four-cylinder Passat with automatic transmission.
Thus, if drivers maximized the diesel's fuel economy and got the 7 extra miles per gallon, it would take about four years to recoup the approximately $1,200 extra cost for the Passat's diesel engine."