In my opinion, there are large numbers of people who are willing to forgo creature comforts in an effort to save money, which is what they perceive the goal of a hybrid to be. So if your goal is to only spend $X on your next car over its lifetime, you can easily compare the current crop of hybrids to whatever econobox floats your boat.

I have a friend who negotiated with the dealer to remove all "unnecessary" components from his car. You know, things like the radio, speakers, the clock. Seriously, the guy had them remove the clock from the dashboard and credit him $10. For him, a hybrid will almost never make financial sense.