When buying a car, certain safety and convenience features can make a dramatic difference for your safety and overall enjoyment, according to Consumer Reports car experts in the organization's current issue of New Car Ratings and Reviews 2006.

"Safety should be one of your highest priorities," said David Champion, Senior Director of CR's 327-acre Auto Test Center in East Haddam, Connecticut "But a well-designed interior, a few comfort features, solid performance and respectable fuel economy can improve your ownership experience and increase resale value."

Consumer Reports recommends that new car buyers consider purchasing vehicles equipped with the following safety and convenience features:

1. Electronic stability control (ESC) - CR highly recommends this feature that helps prevent loss of control in a turn. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that cars with ESC are involved in 30 percent fewer single-vehicle accidents than cars without ESC; that number rises to 63 percent for SUVs. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) forecasts that if all vehicles had ESC, it could potentially save 7,000 lives per year.

2. Antilock braking system (ABS) - ABS helps keep the vehicle under control during heavy braking, allowing the driver to steer around an obstacle without losing control-something he or she can't do if the wheels lock up.

3. Side and head-protection air bags - Vehicle occupants are most vulnerable to injury in side impacts because doors and side panels absorb very little crash energy. Side- and head-protection airbags provide critical cushioning between occupants and a vehicle's side structure, and have been show to greatly improve crash protection performance in IIHS side-impact crash tests.

4. Backup systems - Backup systems help drivers detect objects in the vehicle's rear blind zone. Camera systems often display the image in the navigation system screen when the vehicle is in reverse. Sensor systems use an audio alert when you are near an object. CR's tests show the sensor worked well for parking, but weren't a reliable aid for preventing back-over accidents.

5. Steering-wheel controls - These make it easy to adjust the audio, climate control, or cruise control system without taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the steering wheel. Controls that are illuminated are preferred to make it easy to see them at night.