On Motor week a few weeks back they compared some alt. fuel cars
The Tahoe E85 vs. the Tahoe gas
The MB e class Diesel vs. the E class Gas
and the Honda Civic vs. the Honda Civic Hybrid

The Honda Civic got 36mpg and the hybrid got 48 and the price difference was barely 2k.
If they make a Fit hybrid it will get even better mileage than the Civic for less money
Honda has a winner on their hands
I hope Honda will make the all Hybrid vehicle a 4 door bc the CR Z concept it a 2 door hatch and that was the mistake they made with the Insight

I own a Honda Civic, so let me say their data is a little off.
First, in real world driving I average 29 MPG. I’ve gotten 37 MPG on trips with lots of highway miles.
Second, the Hybrid is based on the LX model, not the EX model. The actual cost difference is around $4500.00
The Civic Hybrid also has some other compromises which make it less practical (smaller trunk, non-folding seats), which made me go with the EX instead.
That said, I’m closely watching for the new Honda Hybrid. We test drove the Prius and found it better then the Civic, however you can quickly raise the price with options and the driver interface is too strange and distracting. It didn’t held that the Toyota dealers were a bunch of gouging jerks…

I drove first Honda Hybrid few years back and it got a whooping 33 mpg, handled like a hog and electronic disco dashboard was very distracting after dark. My Civic in 80’s was doing almost 40 mpg, handled much better and seated 4 comfortably (also it was much easier on the eye). I have a split personality on hybrid: on one hand I realize that as society we need to curtail our thirst for natural resources to leave something for the next generations to live with. If hybrid reduces consumption by 40% at cost of 2K per vehicle, I incline towards diesel power at same cost, less complexity and identical or better savings.
However voices in my head tell me that pluggable hybrid may not use fuel at all for average commute if a car can travel about 100 mi. on overnight charge. If at work place there is another charger for 8 hrs., we are talking 200 mi round trip on electricity alone. Electricity can be produced from solar, wind, hydro and tidal energy: no pollution, no use of treasured resources and we can all scream **** OPEC!

global: why wouldn’t you be a gouging jerk if you were a Toyota salesperson right now? You’re selling the number one hybrid on the planet and whether or not your products reputation is deserved the masses seem to have their blinders on when it comes to your competition. In 5 or 10 years, yes it will be a different story as more models from other manufacturers become available. I wouldn’t buy a Prius right now or any other hybrid for that matter. Like xyunya points out their real world mileage still doesn’t match many simpler, lighter cars from the 80’s and 90’s. If I have to I’ll damn well drive junk for however long it takes until the point comes when there is real competition and I can actually really deal on a hybrid, not be forced into at best full sticker. I paid $3800 for my ‘95 Neon 3 years ago that shows no sign of dying and gets 35 mpg even with me hammering the you know what out of it. Why on earth would I cough up 25 or 30k more right now? So in the meantime, if you absolutely, positively have to have a Prius be fully prepared to deal with less than accomodating Toyota salespeople. The balls still in their court and they don’t have to give it back. Yet.

Last two comments hit the nail on the head. Why pay a premium for a hybrid now when the technologies are on the cusp of big breakthroughs. There was a story on CNN about how Geo Metros are flying off the used car market because they get great mileage. If I’m looking for great mileage at a low cost, I’m doing what the previous two suggested, 80s and 90s lightweight cars with small displacement engines.

I am curious to see what Honda can pull out of the Fit. That car is similar to what I’ll be looking to buy when my wife’s Ford Contour kicks the bucket. If they can get a hybrid version to market for around 16k ($2000 over basic Fit model) it should sell really well. Side note, there was someone at the last autocross with a Fit and it handled A LOT better than I expected it to.

According to inside info over on http://www.vtec.net, the U.S. won’t get the Fit Hybrid.
As for the sales experience: Yes, I understand dealers are in a position to profit (seller’s market). However, there are still standards of courtesy and respect for the customer that they should all follow. In my case I shopped two Toyota dealers and two Honda dealers; both Toyota and one of the Honda dealers treated me as if they were doing me a favor. The 2nd Honda dealer was relaxed, cordial and gave me a reasonable offer. Guess who I brought from, and guess whom I going to first in two years for my next car?

I guess a Fit Hybrid would be some thing with a diesel and just sold in Asia and Europe maybe in US sometime later. When is the Diesel Accord coming to market?

I would prefer a Fit diesel to a hybrid, and isn’t the Accord diesel supposed to be here in the States either later this year or 2009

theu should make a diesel fit