Well, I think I'm ready to take the plunge into the Green eco-friendly driving world (and save myself some $green$ in the process BTW).

Anyway, I've test-driven both the Prius and HCH and I'm pretty impressed with both. I like the HCH's gadgetry a bit better (Nav system, etc.) and the Prius' handling a bit better. But there's only so much I can tell on a test drive, so hopefully I can get a little bit of feedback from those who have a bit more experience with Hybrids, and have driven more than a test drive.

Here's my typical use for the car: I drive to/from work approximately 18 miles each way every day in Atlanta traffic. This means about 5 miles of side streets at roughly 15-35 miles per hour, with plenty of stop-and-go for the first couple of miles. Then I get on the Interstate for another 12 miles or so, and generally average 20-40 miles per hour with the typical weirdness in large-metro traffic (some days with lots of stops on the Interstate, and some days with clear traffic & 60 miles per hour+). Finally, another mile or so on side streets with pretty light traffic.

I need decent visibility for merging / changing lanes, and like a car I can maneuver and park easily (I currently drive & love a Hyundai Elantra for that reason). With that said, I have two children - one big (14) and one small (3), so the car has to be roomy enough for a car seat and a teenager in back. Finally, gadgets are actually pretty important to me - I'm stuck in the car for 2+ hours a day, so things like XM, cupholders and Nav systems are important if they help make those two hours more comfortable and keep me sane.

With that background, do any of you see any reason why I should pick one over the other given my driving habits & lifestyle?