Hey there!

If it were me I would eliminate the Civic Hybrid because of past battery issues, and eliminate the Hyundai because it is a new first year technology, let somebody else be on the bleeding edge of technology. That leaves the Prius (I think you would want a no options 3) or you might consider the Civic in one of the higher trim levels, both should have very good resale value, which might be important if you would need a bigger car sooner rather than later.
Best option is to drive your current car till in dies, then you will have more money to put down on your next car, and maybe in a year or two some other new cars might be a better option.eep:

 

Whatever car you decide to buy, rent one for a week prior to making the commitment if you can. Renting a Prius for a week convinced me back in '08. Its the best car I've owned and I'd buy another one in a minute if anything happened to mine.

 

You can hypermile anything, including the car you already have. If it is the sport that you like, then your choice would be driven by how you score it -- hybrids will give the best actual MPG, while nonhybrids will give the best percent improvement over EPA.

Please yourself, not them. While Prius isn't the sporty driver's "Left Lane" car that is the TDI, it is perfectly at home on the freeway.

Prius' hatchback is perfect for this, though a TDI wagon should also fit.

Until ground clearance becomes an issue, I feel that driver and tires are more important than the vehicle. If your existing FWD is just fine, the Prius will be too, except for the OEM tires.

There are strong opinions here about Prius's traction control. Past versions were bad, then merely poor. The 2010 TCS is greatly improved. Many of us swear by it, but a vocal group of dissenters swear at it. Within the metro area, I prefer it to my older non-TCS, non-VSC, old-ABS Subaru. You will have to make up your own mind on this.

Why is Fusion Hybrid not on your list above? If a non-hatchback/non-wagon works for you, and Fusion is within your price range, it should be an excellent choice.

 

The CVT in the prius means that it will out pull any car in cruise control, on most hills, unless those higher powered cars really put there foot down. I "dragged" a TDI on a long hill travelling to Melbourne on the Calder freeway. Yes, if he had bothered to change down and floor it he would have caught me.

Deisel is dirty no matter what the manufacrurers claim. Setting aside the problem of nano particle soot which can't be "filtered " out I have regularly driven behind late model European deisels and watched black fumes being ejected from the exhaust.

 

Welcome aboard Zanrok. Nothing special about the snow tires for the prius, just get the same size as the OEM. I run studded snows up here but you probably could get away with those non-studded types down there. I highly recommend them (snow tires) anywhere there is snow possible... the car is light and the traction control is pretty aggressive.

 

The main roads are pretty well maintained. I leave pretty early in the morning and there have been a few times where I am plowing through fresh powder (up the the doors). The prius does great in that stuff.

You can see where I was bottoming out. Studded General tires on steel wheels. I was in an unploughed, gravel parking lot at a camp ground.


Just a shot outside the door in March two years ago...

Mostly the roads tend to be ice coated most of the winter and during dry spell, pavement will show through.

 

Being able to "fit" in a car was an issue with me, I am 6', but I think I have shorter legs and longer upper body for someone my height. While I was looking I "test sat" both the Chevy Cruze (which I really liked the look of) and the Equinox, and I had a hard time getting in and out of both! I was surprised to find out it was much easier for me to get in and out of the Prius! Even the back seat is fairly roomy for shorter folks (5'6") or so, like my daughter... and can't beat the Gas Mileage. I do a lot of freeway driving at higher speeds, so I "only" get in the mid 40's for mpg, but that is still about 3 times the gas mileage I was accustomed to in my old SUV!

 

Why do those friends make that claim? Do they own hybrids? See Most fuel-efficient cars and Best & worst cars review, fuel-efficient vehicles.

For VW diesels, then you'll get to experience not-so-good VW reliability. Diesel is also more expensive than regular unleaded most of the year. See Daily Fuel Gauge Report--national, state and local average prices for gasoline, diesel and E-85. for current averages.

As for snowy and dangerous weather, with proper snow tires during those conditions, I don't see how there's anything more to worry about than w/the other FWD cars you named.

The Prius should be great for you from the trunk space POV.

 

Regarding the Cruze, you can browse thru Fuel Economy - Chevy Cruze Forum : Chevrolet Cruze Forums for some reports and a very frustrating experience for trying to get information of people complaining about their mileage. Many complainers most of the time don't provide info necessary (or reply) to figure out whether the mileage they're getting is normal for their commute and car and what to followup on.

I've had no luck in trying to get someone there to spearhead and own creating a questionnaire that fuel economy complainers are required to answer? - Chevy Cruze Forum : Chevrolet Cruze Forums. http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/27-fuel-economy/2667-mpg-lower-than-expected.html#post32691 reflects my frustrations there.

Unfortunately, CR didn't test a Cruze Eco nor any manual ones. Here's what they got:
2011 LS 1.8L 6AT: 26 mpg overall, 17 city/36 highway, 34 on 150 mile trip
2011 1LT 1.4L turbo 6AT: 26 mpg overall, 17 city/36 highway, 35 on 150 mile trip

Here's what they stated for the Cruze:
Highs: Ride, quietness, agility, solid feel, crash-test results, front-seat space
Lows: So-so fuel economy, rear-seat space, no power mirrors

Due to the so-so fuel economy, it didn't even make the lists I posted earlier.

Don't quote me on this, but IIRC, it seems if you want great (highway) mileage on a Cruze, you'll need to have the Eco 6MT version. If you get an automatic, non-eco, don't set your expectations too high. One of the users of there stated something to this effect. I can't find the post now.

(BTW, it irks me Cruzetalkers use the convention "A6" and "M6" when referring to transmissions. A6 to me means an Audi A6. M6 is a BMW M6 to me. Some other boards use abbreviations like 6AT and 6MT, which I prefer.)

As others already stated, you can hypermile any car. Also, given the low gas mileage of your car, even a 1-2 mpg improvement might result in significant fuel savings. See http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...eage-no-its-your-gallonage-really-counts.html. There are some techniques you can use at http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510 that are safe, legal and not extreme (e.g. face out parking and shutting off your engine as you coast into a spot vs. driving into a spot, braking, putting car into park, then shutting it off). I don't like backing into spots but when I had my Z, I'd prefer to do the above and pulling forward into a spot so that I would face outwards when leaving.

 

Actually, I get about 43 mpg, but I am in San Diego, so I drive about 80 on the freeway, lots of rolling hills, and I run the A/C a lot! all of which I hear are not good things for Optimal MPG's. As for the getting in and out issues, I have a Titanium plate in my neck, so I'm not as "flexible" as most folks. I like the Prius, because it does not require a lot of neck bending to get in and out of...

 

Other than adding a little extra time to get to where I am going, no changes. I run ECO mode all the time. In the winter that helps to keep the engine from coming on to heat the cabin as often. I don't mind a cool cabin. Also ECO helps to regulate the accelerator pedal so you not spinning out.