I think it really depends on the type of driving you do. If you do a lot of city-stop and go, get the Prius with the CVT. I do mostly highway and IMHO the small diesels with a manual transmission are superior for this type of driving. If you get a chance to drive a TDI I think you will be surprised at how powerful and fun to drive they are.
Looking for cars it goes: (my Golf TDI) for example
mpg- many TDIs on this site are getting 60s with mild hypermiling
Range- 800-900 mile tanks
Cost- lots of used ones out there. These engines reportedly can run to 300K miles. Diesel can cost 10 to 20 cents more than gasoline.
Hyper mile ability-Yes, especially the manual.
Winter- I have good snow tires but have pushed Colorado powder so deep it came up over the windshield and I had to turn on the wipers to see.
Ability to mod
Color- Indigo Blue Metallic
Brand