yes I know diesel cars are economical, have loads of torque etc etc BUT it was interesting that after driving my new diesel company car and then getting into my 110bhp petrol Corolla I suddenly really didn't want to sell it. You just don't get the throttle response, and the smooth sound/running of the engine. And wait till you need your diesel fixing/servicing, it's more expensive. And they don't handle as well with the big lump of iron up front. And they sound stupid. And they cost 10% more to buy, which buys you a lot of fuel.
Depends on driving style, i can't be doing with reving crap out of engine and downshifting to find the power to get up a hill or overtake.
Servicing, i don't really think there is much in it, particularly when you start looking at turbo petrols which are a more correct comparison to a turbo diesel and are getting more common.
The amount of fuel 10% buys you, depends on how much you spend on the car, and to base purchases on what the fuel will be in foolish, try and guess what fuel will be this time next year. and come back in twelve months and see how close you got. Then consider the life expectancy of a car and do the same guess over the lifetime of a car.
When i was looking i could get a faster more powerful diesel for the same insurance costs.
As for handling, your talking about a car that will get driven well within its capabilities, unless you a) are probably breaking the law, b)indulge in track days.