In the time our editors spend reviewing hundreds of cars a year, we run across features we simply can’t live without. The features that make us whine when we don’t have them aren’t high-end, expensive gadgets but little conveniences that make a high impact on everyday usability and comfort. Here are our 10 favorites:

One-Touch Power Windows

Sure, one-touch up/down windows only save three seconds, but that’s three seconds you can use to get out your checking deposit slip at the bank teller’s window. And if there’s a person you don’t want to delay, it’s the one who handles your money. The 2010 Toyota Camry has the one-touch up/down feature on all four windows.

USB Input

With a USB input, you can tuck the MP3 player out of the way, let it charge and control your 10,000 songs through the stereo, which is much better than the more common MP3 jack. Bonus points go to stereos that recognize older iPods — some won’t — as well as searchable song lists. Interfaces that aren’t alphabetically searchable make it agonizing to turn the dial a hundred times to get to your Weird Al Yankovic collection.

Telescoping Steering Wheel

Telescoping steering wheels not only give you more adjustability for finding a comfortable seating position, but they also help keep drivers in a safe position if the airbag deploys. The feature is available in every class of vehicle, so a model that doesn’t have a telescoping steering wheel is at a competitive disadvantage.

Backup Camera

Backup cameras make navigating parking lots infinitely easier and can pay for themselves by preventing even one parking lot fender bender. Our favorites have lines on the screen that preview the vehicle’s backup path. However, we’d still like to see more backup cameras as a stand-alone option rather than tied to an expensive navigation package.

Steering-Wheel Controls

There’s probably nothing you have more interaction with in a car than the steering wheel and stereo, so having controls for both in the same place cuts down on the time your hands are off the wheel. Even better are steering wheels with cruise control buttons — a separate cruise control stalk almost always gets mistaken for the turn signal at some point.

Trip Computer

A trip computer with mileage readouts can be an easy, no-cost way to improve fuel economy. By looking at the instant mileage, you can tailor your driving habits for the best results. Also included in some trip computers is an outside temperature gauge. Although we can’t change the weather by looking at the gauge, it’s quantitative proof that the weather forecaster is making stuff up.

Smart Cupholders

Fast-food drinks and jumbo-size coffees are more satisfying when they’re not all over your car’s carpet. The best cupholders are deep enough to keep cups from tipping over and accommodate different-sized drinks — from small coffees to Super Big Gulp Slurpees — using adjustable feelers and grips.

Heated Seats

This quintessential winter feature makes dealing with subfreezing temperatures as easy as hitting the heated seat button to “on.” Heated seats start warming before the car’s heat is able to blast at 90 degrees, and they can be fitted on cloth or leather seats.

Height-Adjustable Seats

Seats that adjust vertically are so critical to sitting comfortably that when a car doesn’t have more than four-way adjustability, it seems grossly outdated. Six-way adjustable seats should be the bare minimum; anything less should have been left in 1996.

Three Sets of Latch Connectors

Just because a big SUV has three rows of seating doesn’t guarantee there will be more than two sets of Latch connectors for child-safety seats. SUVs that have three sets of Latch anchors or more, like the 2010 Honda Pilot, offer more flexibility for larger families.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you are looking for a Nissan GTR killer from Japan, this could be the answer. Honda has announced that this model the HSV-010 GT which powered by 3.4l V8 engine will compete in the Super GT under GT500 category.

The first race will be at Suzuka Circuit this coming March.

Popularity: 1% [?]

As usual many participant of the Tokyo Motor Show 2009 has started to unveil the line up for this coming motor show at Makuhari Messe, Chiba City.

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI Carbon is based on the A-Line model equipped with the 5-speed automatic transmission and comes with a carbon fiber roof that lowers the weight of the car and it’s center of gravity. The interior of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI Carbon is covered in suede.

We share with you some photos of the WRX Sti Carbon.

Other line up from Subaru is as follows :

1. SUBARU HYBRID TOURER CONCEPT (Concept car)
2. Plug-in STELLA feat. BEAMS (Display model)
3. IMPREZA WRX STI CARBON (Display model)
4. LEGACY B4 GT300 (Display model)
5. EXIGA 2.0GT tuned by STI (Display model / Scheduled for market launch in Japan)
6. LEGACY TOURING WAGON 2.5i S Package (Production model)
7. LEGACY B4 2.5GT SI-Cruise (Production model)
8. LEGACY OUTBACK 2.5i L Package (Production model)
9. FORESTER 2.0XS BLACK LEATHER SELECTION (Production model)
10. Lineartronic (CVT) cutaway model (Technology exhibit)
11. EyeSight featured in EXIGA 2.0GT EyeSight model (Technology exhibit)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Diminutive but distinctive, Toyota’s iQ is capturing the spotlight at the Frankfurt motor show with two bold new design studies that further prove responsible, sub-100g/km motoring doesn’t have to be dull.

iQ, the world’s smallest four-seat production car, is already a head-turner on the street with its thoroughly contemporary and compact styling. Now Toyota is revealing the car’s potential for customization, with street-cool body kits and vibrant interiors.

Toyota iQ Collection

iQ Collection focuses on the cabin, with the white pearl finish of the body carried through to trim details such as the center console, instrument binnacle and door panels. The leather upholstery is a matching white shade, with a central seat panel design exclusive to the show model. The fully glazed roof makes for an exceptionally light and bright interior.

Toyota iQ for Sports

iQ for Sports is all about urban street style with a bespoke body kit that accentuates iQ’s broad stance, powerful geometry and clean, sweeping lines. The car rides on custom-made 18-inch alloys and features aero-headlamps with high-intensity LED driving lights for an unmistakable “look-at-me” appearance. There is also a rear roof spoiler and a trapezoidal central exhaust, further emphasising iQ’s potential for personalisation.

The radical styling continues on the inside with illuminated door handles, a swivelling spotlight on top of the dash, an illuminated iQ logo and trim panels crafted in raw nickel and aluminium.

The seats are finished in bright green and grey upholstery, with contrasting bolsters in a matt-black scuba-style polyurethene, and the headlining is also a vibrant green. On-board entertainment and navigation are controlled by a 10-inch LCD touch-screen, with DVD playback and music library functions.

Popularity: 2% [?]

We not got new petrol grade today. No more RON92 in the market but only RON95 and RON97. In April last year, the then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said the Government was considering the use of petrol with higher research octane number (RON) to reduce fuel subsidies without hurting the lower-and-medium income groups.

RONS95 is met EURO2M specification, which is less polluting. With this new RON95 in the market, RON92 has been phased out as its usage was only 5% of the total petrol sales in the country.

The new price for our petrol is as follows :

• RON95 : RM1.80
• RON97 : RM2.05 (upgraded as a premium product)

Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consu-merism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the new prices were decided based on the current automatic pricing mechanism and the government subsidising 33.81 sen per litre (of RON95) which is equivalent to RM304mil monthly and RON97 for 42.72 sen per litre.

The cost for RON95 went up 102% from US$40.75 (RM143.79) per barrel to US$82.30 (RM290.40) in December last year and in August respectively.

Popularity: 1% [?]