Ah, I found the missing link. A company called CNW Marketing Research put out a paper several years ago called "Dust to Dust," in which they rated the design, construction, use and disposal of a Prius as higher per mile than a Hummer H3 for the 2005 model year. Trouble is, the paper estimated the Prius averager lifespan as only 109,000 miles! The Hummer, according to CNW, would likely last 300,000 miles. The company argued that the car was usually the second vehicle in a household and used mostly for short trips.

Also, the creation of innovative technology for the Prius was more energy intensive than the "amortized" technology of the Hummer, according to CNW.

CNW's findings were widely challenged, of course. And CNW has since changed its tune. Unfortunately, you now have to pay for their reports, but Wikipedia sums it up:

"CNWMR has since added data for 2007-2008 model year cars in the June 2008 release of their "From Dust to Dust" study and the Prius cost per lifetime mile fell 23.5% to $2.191 per lifetime mile while the H3 cost rose 12.5% to $2.327 per lifetime mile.[2] The Prius and smaller hybrids in general now cost less per mile than any large SUV, according to their own data."

I wouldn't ridicule the original report -- CNW was dealing with a very fluid market that probably shifted significantly between the time data was collected and the paper was published. Before 2005 the car was kind of a curiosity. Since then, over 1.5 million have been sold worldwide.

Here's the link to "Dust to Dust": http://www.cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/DUST%20PDF%20VERSION.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk

Just to supplement the other top gear link in thread

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Top Gear is awful!

I love 'em because they love to BS, but that's really what do most of the time. Switch positions and the results will be the same, the car drafting the other car will get better mileage, although the BMW was still more inefficient while drafting the Prius even if it did get slightly better mileage. I supposed if someone's commute to work consisted of them ragging on their Prius the whole way then they might like a BMW diesel instead even if it gets slightly worse mileage, but the point of most hybrids is that their owners don't need to drive in circles at WOT to get to work.

Here's what it comes down to. If the price of gasoline tops $4 again, it will spur sales of hybrids, foreign and domestic. The average person cares first and foremost about saving a buck. You can argue all day about hidden costs and ecological impact (got to laugh when Prius critics don their Birkenstocks and "green up"), but the average joe is going to look at the window sticker and the price on the gas pump. For many people in the market for a family people-moving appliance that gets 40+ mpg, a hybrid is going to make sense.

Consider Japan, a country with a vibrant car culture but very expensive gasoline. There, the Prius was the best selling car for 20 months running until the new Honda Fit hybrid edged it out. And for 2010 it broke Japan's record for greatest domestic sales in a model year, topping the Corolla's high mark set in 1990. This is a bread-and-butter car with a track record for reliability, and it's been rewarded for that in the market. It's not a hit with enthusiasts, but it's not meant to be.

I'm at a Honda dealership getting tires put on my moms chevy( ha). But im sitting in a CR-Z hybrid and I kind of like it. It has a 6 speed! A hybrid with a 6 speed!

The Honda CRZ looks nice all around. But for a small hybrid, I wish it could get better mpg.