Springtime for T110 and the Americas

The_Chieftain: I have officially given up on trying to save for a Tesla, and have bought one of the most plain, unexciting cars it is possible to acquire. A Passat Diesel.   Now, I understand why Diesels haven't really taken off in the US. The fuel is more expensive per gallon than petrol, and the base cost of the car is higher than that of the petrol. The higher base cost is the same argument why hybrids haven't taken a bigger bite off petrol as well.   What I don't understand, however, is why so many people are buying hybrids instead of diesels. The E250 or Passat are substantially bigger cars than a Prius or Insight, and get better on-the-road mileage. Passat is the same price (Actually a touch cheaper than a Prius). Other converted vehicles like the Fusion Hybrid see cargo space taken up by batteries. If you want a small car, get a Golf TDI. If you don't live in a dense city like Manhattan where the start-stop has the battery make sense, and never take road trips, why go Hybrid?