My family had a diesel (1985 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel) in our household for 20 years, breaking the 200k mile barrier with only a couple problems here and there, most of which were covered by warranty/recall, even over ten years after the car's purchase. That car had really good gas mileage for what it was, plus diesel wasn't very expensive at the time (relative to gasoline). I remember my dad telling me that with diesels it wasn't necessary to let them warm up from a cold start. However, I eventually hated that car since it stayed in my household for so long and became a very dated car that was loud as shit (kind of embarrassing when getting picked up from school), though on the bright side, I would stay up as late as I wanted with my older brother, and we would just turn off our lights since we could hear my mom's car lugging along from around the block. I also remember that car being exempt from smog checks.
Fast forward to more recent years. Diesel technology has gotten much better. That old 300D of ours was pretty slow, but newer diesels had much more powerful torque curves down low in private passenger applications while being quieter and cleaner and nearly as quick as their gasoline counterparts but with superior fuel efficiency. But is it worth it? It's hard to say.
Consider the price premium as you mentioned, then consider the fact that diesel is still currently more expensive than most grades of gasoline as far as I've noticed. After those two factors, does the better fuel efficiency balance out the difference in the price of the car and the price of the fuel? Do the math... but in most cases, probably not. But that doesn't mean it's not worth it.
Obviously the performance enthusiast won't get it, but for the commuter who likes some punch with their fuel efficiency, the diesel would be a decent choice, assuming they have the coin to get one. But also, diesels have gotten significantly cleaner over the years, so it's also somewhat decent for the environment.
