The article is pretty spot on. I picked up a 2013 Jetta Hybrid SEL a couple of weeks ago. I helped to justify the decision by the fact that they had knocked $4000 off the price and I had a lot of equity in my 2010 Golf. It was hard letting go of the Golf, but the Hybrid is loaded with lots of bells/whistles, upgraded suspension and interior. I would get low 40s mpg on my commutes into Boston in the Golf. I have been pleasantly surprised to be routinely getting low 50s in the hybrid. The hybrid is very responsive and the 7 speed DSG is very smooth. I wished the battery had more capacity, but so far I haven't depleted it or fully charged it. You would deplete the battery in very prolonged stop/go traffic. They really seem to have optimized efficiency and performance in the hybrid. A complaint against the hybrids has been that many do not get the EPA estimates for mpg. The bottom line is that hybrids have to be driven differently to take advantage of the electric motor. In a way I have to drive my CR appropriately to get the best mpg also. It doesn't mean being a nuisance to others on the road, but there is technique involved. After 2 fill ups, my hand calculated mpg is 52 mpg. I'll go with my Jetta TDI for long highway trips and use the hybrid primarily for work commutes, although I'll have to see how the Hybrid does on a trip down I95 to Philly.