I’ve been looking over some of the safety features offered on some of the newest lines of cars. One car that seems to stand out with an innovative list of features is the 2010 Lincoln MKZ. While it may be a little early to start looking for one in the NorCalCars showroom, today’s new cars will soon be tomorrows used cars!

Expect to get a little more kick out of this model than the previous years. A few of the performance features include sport tuned suspension and optional all wheel drive. The improvement in powertrain performance shaves the Lincolns 0-60 mph time down by .6 seconds from 7.7 to 7.1. This boost helped by the Six-Speed “SelectShift” automatic transmission that comes standard.

The new safety features are what have really caught our eye though. Starting with the “BLIS” or Blind Spot Information System. The BLIS uses two multiple beam radar modules behind the rear fender and indicator lights in the outside rear-view mirrors to warn the driver when someone enters into the defined blind spot.

Another feature called the CTA uses the same radar system from the BLIS to alert the driver while backing up with both Visual and Audible alerts when you start getting to close to another object.

Backing up is further aided by a reverse camera system. When the vehicle is shifted into reverse a small camera mounted on the decklid is activated and displayed either on the navigation screen or in the self-dimming review mirror if the vehicle is not equipped with navigation.

Rain sensing wipers detect the presence of moisture on the windshield and automatically activate the wipers.

A feature I really look forward to trying out is the Adaptive HID headlights. Depending on the speed of the vehicle and steering inputs the headlight will rotate to allow for greater visibility around turns.

Finally, if you do get in an accident the SOS post crash alert kicks in activating the horn, emergency flashers, unlocking the doors, and turns on the interior light when the airbag is deployed.

I’ll be keeping my eyes open for one of these to hit one of the NorCalCars dealer lots so I can get a chance at a test drive. Who knows, I might even stop by Ford in the summer for a test ride.