For those concerned with raising fuel prices the Econav is more than just a satnav system. The Econav takes into account the type of car you have and the number of passengers and plots routes which are the most fuel effective. Take a full car of passengers through some twisty country lanes might well be shorter but is it more fuel economical than taking the motorway. The Econav lets you know.

The manufactures say that it can save you over £200 in six months which is more than the cost of the unit! You can find out more here and here and you can get hold of one from Amazon.co.uk.

If you have a sports car then you might want to make sure you look the part while driving. How about a part of Bluetooth sunglasses? These great looking sunglasses not only keep the sun out of your eye but they will also keep you connected while you are on the go, but without the cyborg looking earpiece.

The lenses of the glasses have a smoke mirrored finish and the volume control and call answer buttons are cleverly located on the arm-piece. It is compatible with all standard Bluetooth equipped phones and it will give you a talk time of 3.5 hours and standby time of 90 hours.

You can get them for $49 (about £30) from ThinkGeek.

Finally for the all the iPhone users, there is now hands-free dictation available in the form of the Dragon Dictation.

With Dragon Dictation voice recognition application you can dictate your text and email messages directly to your phone. Although it isn’t completely hands-free as you still need to actually send the text message or email, but I am sure that you could do that while at the next traffic lights! Nuance, the makers of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software which is used in the Dragon Dictate app, say that it is up to five times faster than typing on the keyboard!

Note: At the time of writing it is only available in the US store but we are hoping it will become available in the UK in the future.

Top 3 Cool Gadgets for Your Car is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

As BMW strive to create the zero emissions vehicles of tomorrow, forty electric MINI E cars have been handed over to their test drivers, who are all members of the public. This field trial will evaluate the psychological, social and technical aspects of living with an electric car. The findings will be used to help guide power providers, policy makers and component manufacturers in their decision making about the cars of the future.

“This is a historic day for MINI and for the BMW Group” said Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group (UK). “It is fitting that the brand with its inspiration in the oil crisis of the 1950s is again at the forefront of energy efficiency with a car that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

The front wheel drive, two-seater MINI E uses a single-stage helical gearbox which powers the MINI E seamlessly to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph. Although based on the familiar MINI Hatch the MINI E is a two-seater because the space normally used by rear passengers is reserved for the lithium-ion battery.

This state-of-the-art rechargeable battery unit combines high output with ample storage capacity and a remarkable power output. A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity from the grid. Each kilowatt hour translates into 5.4 miles giving the MINI E a theoretical range of over 150 miles.

With the possibility to extend the car’s range by up to 20 per cent, as soon as the driver lifts his or her foot off the accelerator pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery.

Electric MINI E Trials Start in Oxford, UK is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The new Astra range is made up of five petrol engines (ranging from an 87PS 1.4-litre to a 1.6-litre turbocharged unit producing 180PS) and three diesel engines (from 110 to 160PS in either 1.7 CDTi or 2.0 CDTi form) and prices start at just £15,675. There are also five trim levels – S, Exclusiv, SRi, SE and Elite.

All models now come with ESP, 6 airbags, air conditioning, electric windows, CD/radio with MP3 format and aux-in and electric/heated door mirrors.

Vauxhall are also offering a neat range of options on the new Astra including AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting), which gives drivers nine headlight functions that automatically adapt to road conditions, and FlexRide with its choice of three suspension settings which you can manually control or leave for the car to select automatically.

First Customers Will Receive the Keys to Their New Astras Today is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The most notable visual change to the Qashqai is at the front which has been completely redesigned. There is an all new bonnet, front bumper, wings, grille and headlamps. The new front-end design is shared with Qashqai+2.

The rear of the car remains similar to before but has some aerodynamic changes. A more transparent lens design has been adopted, with the upper portion, housing the reversing lights and indicators, being clear, while the lower section with the brake and nighttime running lights, is red.

Nissan want to ensure that the Qashqai remains a top seller in the UK and so prices remain competitive. Complete with its new styling and dynamic enhancements, the entry-level model costs £15,395, while ownership of a diesel powered Qashqai is available from £16,795.

New Nissan Qashqai For 2010 is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The new Toyota Prius has been voted Japan Car of the Year by a panel of experts at the Tokyo Motor Show 2009. This is the first major award for the new third generation Prius which was launched in August of this year.

The Prius is a full hybrid car and uses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system which combines petrol and electric power. From start-up the Prius can drive under electric motor power alone up to 31mph until the petrol engine kicks in. Above 31mph the Prius uses its 1.8l petrol engine and its two electric motors in synergy. When braking, and during deceleration, the electric motor acts as a high-output generator and recharges the high-power battery. This kinetic energy is normally wasted as heat when braking or decelerating.

In Japan, the Prius has been the nation’s top selling new car for the past five months in a row. In the UK, Totota have received more more than 4,000 customer orders and in September its sales performance moved it up to become Toyota’s third best-seller, after Yaris and Auris.

Prius Is Japan’s Car Of The Year 2009 is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

In just a few days time the new Mazda CX-7 ‘Sports Crossover’ will be available in showrooms in the UK. The CX-7 features a new turbo-charged 2.2-litre diesel engine but also has low fuel consumption and low emissions.

One of the world’s first SUV’s to combine sporty design and driving experience the new Mazda CX-7 has a more dynamic ‘face’ with a larger five-point grille and chrome detailing.

The CX-7 also has numerous features as standard, including leather seats, climate control air-conditioning, cruise control, electric driver’s and front passenger’s heated seats, a bespoke BOSE® premium surround sound audio system, integrated satellite navigation and Bluetooth® technology.

This ‘Sports Crossover’ is priced at £25,785 on-the-road in a choice of five colours.

New Mazda CX-7 ‘Sports Crossover’ Out is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The Focus RS will be getting a front-wheel-drive with a reworked front axel to keep the fun into driving. The RS’s Duratec will be optimised to generate around 300 HP with 400Nm torque.

We’ll be seeing the new Focus RS at the London Motor Show in late July where we’re expecting to hear all the details.

2009 Focus RS – Fords Fastest Focus is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars