DD thoughts.

I'd go with the VW diesel as that is a long ride and hybrid is best in town and most of the ride will be highway. Diesel is not always easy to find. We have a 2013 ML 350 Bluetec but we are careful not to let it get low and there are 4 diesel stations by our house.

 

The problem with any diesel car is finding gas stations that sell it, and if the station sells it, the prices are not that competetive. Also, there is usually only one diesel pump which is either broken or occupied by a truck driver taking forever to fill a 50 gallon tank.

Diesel is not worth the hassle. I would stick with a hybrid - there are some good choices out there.

 

Not every gas station sells diesel but a lot do and many newly redone stations have added it. I personally think it is great especially for an SUV. We can get about 29-30 mpg with our ML on flat highways. Plus it can do about 600 miles on a tank.

What you speak about may be the old days. Many stations have the small nozzle pumps for cars and larger nozzle ones for trucks.

The problem with diesel is it competes with home heating oil so it gets expensive in the winter. Also, it is higher than premium at most stations at the moment, but this is also due to the ultra low sulphur diesel which must be used in modern engines.

I wouldn't buy a hybrid, we once drove a Lexus 400h and it was not for us. Brand new car but had a weird feel to it and grinded when you slowed down. The salesman said it was due to the regenerative braking. I'll pass on hybrid. Plus, we'll see long term how good it is for us to be near such high voltage.

 

Diesel all the way. I've driven both the Passat and Jetta TDI models with the DSG, and had no complaints, even in NYC traffic. Mileage is outstanding with them—because of a quirk in the way the EPA tests fuel economy, diesel cars usually wind up exceeding their EPA estimate, whereas hybrids often times have trouble matching their EPA numbers.

And to reaffirm MVDESQ's point, diesel is sold at about fifty percent of gas stations these days. Considering the Passat can do 700 miles on a tank, odds are good there's always one within range.

Also, the Passat is just a far, far better car than the Camry. Bigger inside, better-built, more fun to drive, and so forth. Passat all the way.

 

Friend just purchased a 2013 Jetta diesel earlier this year. Took it down to Florida over the summer. Filled the tires up to max pressure before taking off and got to Florida from NJ on a tank and a half. Averaged 54mpg bone stock (all highway between 55 and 70mph). And unlike a hybrid, it actually has some torque so it's zippy around town and actually has passing ability on the highway.