Since my contact with the report is quite minimal (being only from the Car and Driver article), I tend to be less critical. Nor does it matter to me that this article, in effect, said (and this is my assumption) that my wife's 1999 GMC pickup (V6) is in the long run cheaper to operate than my Prius.

I understand the authors looked at more than just the relative cost of mpg (or is it absolute). They also considered the cost of recycling (which I don't think is big in this country, but is in Europe), and that may indeed change the relative cost.

As to Steve's observation that as mpg increases, so does the length of trips, said observation is in line with our experience. I also think for us it is the newness of the transport. For example, a couple of years ago I drove from home in Long Beach, CA to Toronto, Canada in that 15 mpg GM truck. This year, we drove the Prius to Vancouver, Canada. I'm considering driving to Toronto again in 2007 in the Prius.

Oh, yes Steve, I know a little about Ks. Was stationed at Topeka (and frequently drove into Chicago). My wife is from Medora, Ks (crow capital), where her father still lives. Brother is in Wichita, and Sister is in Tulsa. Her grandparents farmed around Dodge. Pretty good Chinese restaurant once upon a time, long ago.