Several times I've driven Mini Coopers through ZipCar, and one feature that takes getting used to is the "whoosh-click" noise that happens a millisecond after you close the door. That rather unique noise belongs to a BMW engineering feature whereby once the door is completely closed, the window shoots up a fraction of an inch and into the rubber seal, firmly sealing the cabin to minimize wind noise. The second you pull the door handle open, of course, the window scoots back down, slightly and imperceptibly, so the door can be opened without incident.
Ford has devised a door mechanism that is similar in action, if quite different in purpose. Their new Door Protector System features a protective rubber flap that pops out of the edge of the door when it's opened, providing protection should you run the end of the door into something; once you pull the door closed it automatically retracts.
I love this idea, as will anyone that's ever owned a car that's been dinged up in a parking lot. The rub is that the system protects the cars around you from dings—but who's going to protect your car? In any case, if you have the opportunity to park next to a new Ford Focus starting in January 2012, do it. That's the first model that will get DPS, so you can be assured you'll return to find your car ding-free, at least on the Focus side.
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