here's a simple way to look at it from my point of view:

diesel on hwy > hybrid on hwy
diesel in city < hybrid in city
hybrid when warming up > diesel when warming up
hybrid exhaust smell > diesel exhaust smell
honda > volkswagon
toyota > honda
diesel power > hybrid power (exception for hybrids tuned for performance)
hybrid price < diesel price
gasoline smell > diesel smell
hybrid what noise? > diesel noise
getting the most out of your gas hybrid
like turbos? diesel
like slient "turbos"? Honda IMA
like quiet car? Toyota HSD
Like japanese reliability? Or German Realiablity?

Now if honda brought their diesel over here, it'll be a whole new ball park game.

i got around 20 km a liter when i drove a civic 5 spd using advanced hypermiler techniques
and now I drive a salvage nwh20 prius that gets almost to 25 km/l with 195,000 km to date.

I have a diesel but would equally want to own a hybrid - especially if I could get better fuel economy, but as it stands there are many small European diesels offering good figures.

Not as smooth or as clean as a regular gas car in terms of particulate emissions, but CO2 is low and they are improving all the time.

your car looks dope man, that's sexy mileage for a diesel oh boy i want a honda diesel so badly!

i got around 20 km a liter when i drove a civic 5 spd using advanced hypermiler techniques
and now I drive a salvage nwh20 prius that gets almost to 25 km/l with 195,000 km to date.

My car has over 150k on the clock, still manages 50 mpg and can run quite happily (except in the winter at least) on CO2 neutral straight vegetable oil with no ill effects. You can't do that with a hybrid!

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/ecotech/ecot.htm

Just imagine how awesome the fuel economy would be if it was a hybrid.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Diesel-WVO Hybrid Photos

But back to the main point - the difference between diesels and hybrids.

They are actually different technologies - a diesel is a form of "two-stroke" engine. This means that the power cycle is completed in one down and one up stroke. A hybrid generally refers to a combination of power technologies. Usually this means an HEV - hybrid electric (-gasoline) vehicle.

Clearly, both technologies can occur in the same vehicle - thus the references to diesel hybrids in this thread. Currently, however, hybrids use a four-stroke gasoline engine rather than a diesel engine. The two major hybrid configurations at this time are the serial (or "mild") hybrid produced by Honda in which the engine is constantly running and the parallel (or "full") hybrid of Toyota and Ford in which the engine is used only when the battery is not sufficient to power the vehicle by itself.

Other possible hybrid configurations which might be available in the future include combining electric, fuel cell, fossil fuel, and maybe even other esoteric power systems.

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"

Another hybrid combination (which wouldn't be too expensive to engineer) would be a hybrid/FFV vehicle. A car that ran on batteries and ethanol would definately be a well-deserved punch in the eye to Big Oil!

Actually... the Honda and GM hybrids are Parallel, since both propulsion systems run concurrently. The Ford and Toyota systems are Serial since each propulsion system can operate independently.

Of course, I think the 2006 HCH sort of bridges the gap between both systems. It *can* operate on batteries alone, but only for short periods. I'd dub it a "three-quarter hybrid".

Quotes from AshenGrey:

Actually... the Honda and GM hybrids are Parallel, since both propulsion
systems run concurrently. The Ford and Toyota systems are Serial since
each propulsion system can operate independently.

The question is not whether the propulsion systems run concurrently, but does the entire system run with either subsystem off? The Toyota and Ford systems do, so they are parallel, the Honda does not (usually), so it is serial.

. . . . . . . . . . . |-----------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . |. . . . . . . . . . .|
. Parallel: . engine . . . transmission
. . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . |
. . . . . . . . . . . |---battery--->|

. Serial: engine-->battery-->transmission


Of course, I think the 2006 HCH sort of bridges the gap between both
systems. It *can* operate on batteries alone, but only for short periods.
I'd dub it a "three-quarter hybrid".

I'll buy that. I think the term "mild" is only an English approximation to the engineering actuality. AshenGrey's is a better description.

'06 FEH 2WD "Sainte Marie"

Diesels Plus-Hybrid neg
1)They could get very close to a full hybrid mpg in mixed driving(none of the ones we have actually do this in the USA)
2)They could be cheaper-once again the ones we have-USA- aren't cheaper.
Diesel negative
1)The exhaust stinks-yeah,it is less than it used to be,but it is still a lot more than any Hybrid-Yes,pure vegetable oil will cure this.
2)The fuel stinks!Gasoline on your hands is pretty bad-hard to wash the stink off-diesel is worse!!Vegetable oil will cure.
3)Diesels are noisy, and the noise is a particularly annoying rattle-clatter.Yes, they aren't as noisy as they used to be, but they are a lot noisier than a Hybrid.Yes injection tech has decreased the racket, but they are much, much noisier than a hybrid.
4)Fewer fuel stations.
5)Diesel is currently more expensive than 87 octane-20 cents or so.
6)They are going to require more exhaust clean up trickery-particles and stench.

Now a plain TDI is roughly equal to a Hybrid in my eyes.The obvious-a Hybrid Diesel-will be better, but more expensive- and heavier.
A plain jane stripper(AC,amfm-CD-2 speakers-power steering-brakes-nothing else)small engined gasoline car-made as light as possible and with an automatic motor shutdown when stopped-will be a lot cheaper than either choice-an Echo with the Prius ICE motor would be maybe 700 lbs lighter than a Prius, and 900 lbs less than a TDI Hybrid.It could get very,very close to Prius mpg.Charlie

Yet to see an Echo get 109 MPG, or average 60+ for a tank......the Echo does not need to be in the conversation unless you are talking about "the dirt cheapest Toyota I can buy." If you want a "plain jane stripper" then you need not put hybrids into that conversation....all depends on what you want. No hybrid is comparable to a $12,000 Echo - all of them are VASTLY superior.