I don't blame you Bendmac - I always request an automatic when renting a car on the continent or North America. Changing gear with the wrong hand is always the hardest part in my opinion and best avoided if at all possible (looking up in the wrong direction for the rear view mirror comes a close second, but there's not a lot you can do about that!).
The Edges we have here are identical to yours other than the engines. Ours are all twin turbo 2 litre diesels (even the ST-Line models) - a lot less powerful than over the pond but as our fuel is currently averaging at $6.17/US gallon in the UK it is much more economical.