"N8N" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Never driven a newer VW Diesel, have you? Not to mention that they
> also get 2X the gas mileage of a similarly performing petrol-burner, in
> some cases. That's a Good Thing(tm.)

Today I averaged around 40-45 mpg doing suburban driving in light
traffic. And that's with a 4 speed automatic. That's about as good or
better than some of those hybrid cars. All I did was go easy on the
acceleration and I drove the speed limit. Even then, it's got plenty of
power in reserve (for instance, I ended up doing a couple of fast left-hand
turns).

VW has an aluminum/composite European 2-door car called the Lupo that gets
90 mpg- it's not a hybrid but it does have an integrated starter generator
and a 3 cylinder engine. Audi created a diesel-electric midsize steel-body
car that gets 85 MPG.