Diesels are here to stay. The reasons are that a diesel will get 1/3 better fuel mileage than an equivalent performing gasser. This was why there was a brief fad of diesel cars in the early 70s, but that faded away because the auto makers got caught with their pants down, and tried to crank out gassers modified to be diesels rather than properly designed as diesels from the get-go. The resultant utter unreliability was a disaster.
But this time around the diesels you are seeing were designed as diesels and are at least as reliable (if not more so) than the gassers they replace. The car makers are being forced by higher mileage requirements to add diesels to their lineup. So I don't think they will go away.
There are currently two ways to get better fuel efficiency from a particular vehicle: (1) make it a hybrid; (2) make it a diesel.
But there is no need to fear diesels. As other have noted, they are no longer smelly, noisy, dirty, and sluggish. The current crop is quiet as a gasser, meets pollution standards, and accelerates as well as a gasser. Not to mention, generally nicer at dragging around heavy things due to a more favorable torque curve.
If you'd like to see/hear, feel what a modern diesel COULD be, visit a BMW dealer and ask them to show you a 335d or X5d. BMW currently has the most advanced automotive diesels going, and those two models in particular are great examples of what can be done.
