I know the market really likes the hybrids, but they all have one thing in common: A large and expensive battery pack with a finite life. I have a suspicion that in several years, the resale value may be less than you'd like because any buyer will be facing the cost of replacing the battery pack in the near future.
When you look at the added cost of the hybrid over the equivalent gasoline engine, the recovery time for the increased mileage becomes a real problem unless the premium in cost up front is recovered on resale. You cannot outguess the market on that problem. Diesel pickups cost about $6,000 more than the gas powered versions but generally resold for about that same $6,000 higher than a gas truck. But now that diesel is 20 percent higher than gas, a lot of that premium has faded.
With the requirements that you've noted, like hauling clients around, a Lexus RX330 is always socially acceptable and usually has strong resale. They are also easy to get in and out of. They are not a Yaris in the economy run, but they are better than a Tahoe. Another decent, but less classy alternative is the Honda Odyssey. Some people can't get into the idea of driving a minivan, but I drove mine about 100 miles today and find it very handy for hauling stuff around.
We're about to get a whole new crop of high efficiency diesels from folks like BMW and Audi. I personally drive an S55 Benz which is a superb vehicle, but the reliability of everything with a three pointed star has slipped so badly that I would only recommend leasing one for the warranty period. Their sales are way off and even MBNA knows the resale is not good, so it may be tough to get a cost effective deal on a Benz.
What are your real criteria? What do you really want in the trade offs between horsepower, space, towing, fuel numbers, comfort, driving experience, luxury and size?
If you can define it, I'll bet we can pick it.
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