Car Tech's top holiday gift picks

The dedicated driver on your gift list will glow with delight when unwrapping any of our picks during the holidays. If you can come up with the scratch for a new car, these are the best of the current crop, while our car accessories will make any gearhead happy.

The Audi A3 is about as perfect a car as we've seen in a while. This compact sedan doesn't skimp on the technology, offering a 4G data connection for Google-based navigation and destination search. Its 2-liter engine is both economical and powerful, making it fun and practical to drive.

Cobra envisions a new generation of radar detectors with the iRadar Atom. Paired with a smartphone, its app gives you detailed alerts and also connects with Cobra's AURA database, which automatically shares alerts from the Cobra community for over-the-horizon detection.

GoPro may rule the motorsports world, but there is reason to look at the Drift Ghost-S when considering an action camera. It comes with a built-in LCD and waterproof case. Two screw mounts allow more flexibility when attaching it to a suction-cup mount, so you can capture that perfect lap from inside or outside the car.

For drivers who just want to add Bluetooth without major modifications to their car, this tiny dongle by Kinivo sends hands-free call audio and wirelessly streamed stereo music through a car's speakers via the auxiliary input present on most modern car stereos. Simple controls let you accept incoming calls and skip tracks.

For those who can appreciate a lot of power in a little package, the Fiesta ST is about as good as you can get. The Fiesta ST features a practical hatchback design and is just waiting to be raced along backroads. Its superb handling allows a lot of forgiveness, and it isn't so powerful as to overwhelm the novice sport driver.

Infiniti makes a huge techie leap forward with the Q50S Hybrid, the replacement for the popular G37. This midsize premium car combines a powerful drivetrain with good fuel economy, then throws in the most innovative steering system available today. The car even uses the navigation system to help the transmission select the right gear.