The trouble comes in believing that a hybrid engine can deliver the same performance, horsepower/torque wise, as a gasoline engine.
Half-truths! (I've been waiting to use that term)
Actually a hybrid can deliver in the torque category, but not the horspower:
MORE HALF TRUTHS FROM THE OPPOSITION! (btw, don't wait to throw about claims like that. It may be silly, but it feels good once in a while to throw stuff like that out there for no reason other than to incite debate....really! Even if it's just joke-debate
From your link, (and I fixed it for ya) we find the following:
http://auto.consumerguide.com - Cooter's Link2005 Toyota Prius
Size, liters/cu. in 1.5/91
Horsepower @ rpm 76 @ 4500
Torque (lb-ft) @ rpm 82 @ 4200
Availability Standard1
EPA city / highway mpg
CVT automatic 60/51
And from the same website, we find my results demonstrating a hybrid isn't even in the ballpark:
http://auto.consumerguide.com - Drew's SuperCool awesome "you're so wrong Cooter" linkHorsepower @ rpm 160-200
Torque (lb-ft) @ rpm 235-255
Availability Standard or auto
EPA city / highway mpg 5/7 blowing oil and other asorted stuff out the tailpipe
I've looked for hybrids that can serve the purpose my comparison vehicle serves, but they just don't stand up....I think it'd be funny to see what a hybrid looked like when I tried to use it for my purposes just because Cooter said it would work based on his stats.
Not that I'd ever be caught dead in a Prius. 
I ain't ashamed to be seen in my vehicle, heck, throw that Prius on the back of my vehicle, and I've got a "told ya so" grin on my face a mile wide!
I WOULD consider driving the Honda Insight, if they weren't so ungodly expensive.
Those car manufacturers aren't retarded. They know if they make the price too attractive, they'll siphon more sales away from their easier-to-make gas-engine models, but if they price them low enough that the local dirt-eating sandal-wearing frog-licking tree-hugging wanna be's (or the ACTUAL "lol models" they want to be) think they're reasonably priced, they'll make some money from the green-friendly bunches too.
The animal/vegetable oil converted diesels are running around now, push for that to be worked on and improved, and you'll have REAL improvements.