Sponsored: A cockpit. An engine. Two wings. Is this still a car? is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

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

This isn’t the first time the new Polo has been recognised for it excellence. This year it has already been named Best Car 2009 by “auto motor sport” magazine and just a few days ago it won the Auto Trophy by “Autozeitung”, the German language automobile enthusiast magazine.

“The new Polo stands for German engineering craftsmanship and superior cutting edge technology. The fifth generation Polo was designed to address customer expectations with even greater uncompromising standards. That is why we are naturally very pleased to see our efforts validated in the form of this award,” says Professor Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Group.

Polo is Car of the Year 2010 is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

Laguna: Priced from just £19,995 on-the-road, the Coupé TomTom also includes Arkamys 3D Sound 140W audio system with MP3 CD reader and Bluetooth, 18 inch ‘Interlagos’ alloy wheels, eight airbags, automatic lights and wipers, dual zone climate control, electric heated door mirrors, MP3 player connection, rear parking sensors, Super Fold rear seat system and xenon headlights.

Renault is keen to point out that the Coupé TomTom undercuts its rivals, the BMW 320d SE by a significant £8,535 (£28,530 OTR) and Peugeot 407 Sport HDi 163 by £2,995 (£22,990 OTR).

The Carminat TomTom is a built-in navigation solution co-developed with Renault which includes features such as: a large “birdview” 5.8 inch screen, reliable navigation under all circumstances, traffic news with alternative itinerary, speed limits and numerous points of interest.

Megane: The new entry-level Mégane Sport Tourer Extreme launches with two models the 1.6 petrol and 1.5 dCi diesel, costing £14,935 and £16,685 respectively.

There is a generous level of equipment on offer, with a 4×15W radio RDS CD system with AUX input, air conditioning, ESP, Renault keycard and front electric windows all as standard.

As with the Laguna, Renault is happy to point out that the Megane undercuts its rivals, the Ford Focus Estate Style 1.6 Duratec 100PS by a considerable £3,010 (£17,945 OTR) and theVolkswagen’s New Golf S Estate 1.2 TSI by £1,445 (£16,380 OTR).

Renault Launches Special Edition Laguna Coupe and New Megane Sport Tourer Extreme is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

This five star rating is the overall vehicle safety rating given after combining the scores in four areas: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist. The model tested by Euro NCAP was the 5 door hatchback Mazda 3 1.6 ‘Touring’.

Mazda3 is the second Mazda model to be awarded the five-star maximum rating under the new Euro NCAP evaluation system. The new Mazda6 received five stars in February 2009. Mazda2 and Mazda5 received a maximum ranking of five stars for Adult Occupant Protection from Euro NCAP in December 2007 and 2005 respectively.

You can see the offical results here: http://www.euroncap.com/results/mazda/3/2009/382.aspx

New Mazda3 is no Crash Dummy is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

To do this they developed a specially revised map for the Scirocco 2.0 TDi’s engine management system, which was refined to increase the performance. Normally the VW Scirocco 2.0 TDi produces 138bhp (103 KW) but after APS get their hands on it a Scirocco 2.0 TDi will boasts 170bhp (127KW).

Interestly, fuel economy is unaffected by the APS Stage One performance upgrade, so a combined figure of 55mpg can be expected.

Priced at £499.00 fitted, including VAT @ 15%, the APS Stage One VW Scirocco 2.0 TDi performance upgrade is available now.

APS Can Add 32BHP To Your Scirocco Coupe is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

The new BMW 5 Series Saloon has been styled to reflect its almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution and has the longest wheelbase in its class at 2,968mm. This extra length means an extra 13mm of knee room for rear passengers and it has a 520-litre boot with the option to specify 40:20:40 split folding rear seats.

The use of Black Panel technology on the instrument panel and centre console adds an extra touch of luxury to the interior.

Buyers of the BMW 5 Series Saloon will be able to choose between three diesel and four petrol engines. The most popular model is expected to be the 520d. This 1,995cc four cylinder diesel accelerates from zero to 62mph in 8.1 seconds before going onto a top speed of 141mph. Fuel economy is great with a combined fuel consumption figure of 56.5mpg.

For those who want power there is the twin-turbocharger 550i with its 407hp 4,395cc V8 engine. It does zero to 62mph time of just 5.0 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

The very first BMW 5 Series Saloon appeared in 1972 with BMW’s first diesel engine appearing in a Five, while other generations introduced innovations such as all aluminium suspension, Head-up Display and Active Steering.

The New BMW 5 Series Saloon is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars