European cars offer a diesel engine with just about every one of their cars and it's high time we in the US do the same. Diesel technology in cars has improved by leaps and bounds and you can easily beat a Prius in a diesel car these days. The big federal tax on diesel is outrageous when you consider how much more per gallon it is for diesel vs 87 octane gas. If our government lowered the tax on diesel, I think a lot more people would no longer be scared when they see how much more a gallon of diesel goes for vs 87 octane.

I bought a 2010 Golf TDI a month ago and I have to say that I'm blown away by it. I've driven a Prius and there's no comparison to something like my Golf. I can drive it reasonably and get great (45+) mileage or choose to drive like my hair is on fire and get in the mid 30 mpg. I really don't think that all this hybrid/electric car stuff is the answer because when you look at the total amount of energy that goes into making a hybrid vs a diesel car, the hybrid does way more damage to the environment because of all the resources, energy, and difficulty of making those huge batteries.

Ultimately, hydrogren is the answer our country needs because you can fill it up in the same amount of time it takes to fill up your car and you can run your house easily on your car's fuel cell when you're at home (you could power your block too for that matter).

So for anyone that is considering buying a gas-saving DD, take a test drive in something like a VW Golf TDi or a Jetta TDI and if you enjoy driving, I think you'll find that a hybrid just doesn't provide anywhere near the same level of fun as a diesel.

I'm not here to grandstand for VW's TDI line, but the technology has caught up in the commercial vehicle market and more people need to give it a chance.