I'm with Joe on this one. I bought an '06.5 Jetta TDI and absolutely love it. Of course, Joe must drive like an old granny to get 54 MPG because I'm lucky to see 40, or maybe 45 if I'm really conservative! (And I don't even need to run the A/C up here in the PNW!) Of course that $206 ticket I got the other day might slow me down for a little while...

Either way, like others have said, the price of diesel fluctuates seasonally, but even at it's highest prices you still get significantly better fuel mileage, and the availability of biodiesel is getting better every year.

Some may not be impressed with the Jetta's outward appearance, but there are certainly thing you can do to make them look nicer (like upgraded wheels and replacing or painting over the fugly chrome grill trim). The optional leather interior, sunroof, and NAV systems makes my boring commuter feel like a luxury car, at half the cost of a BMW or Mercedes. And the upgraded sound system isn't half bad either, and includes a 6 disk CD changer and iPod adapter. Maybe I'm just getting old, but these days when I spend half my day stuck in traffic, I care a lot less about the external look than the interior experience.

If this diesel hybrid comes in a Jetta or Passat, I would buy one for sure.