As a reader of CR for many years. The bias against American brands is obvious. They claim to be 'neutral', but yet their so called 'experts' certainly favor Asian brands. They nitpick the American brands and ignore the shortcomings of Asian brands.
As for the Edge, MKX. I am in the early stages of researching and checking out various vehicles that are classified either midsized SUV's or Crossovers.
I've eliminated the Saturn Vue due to owner comments on poor ride and road noise. Eliminated the GMC Acadia due to size. Eliminated the Land Rover LR2 because I don't need a vehicle to climb mountains with.
That leaves only the Edge, MKX and Murano. Those 3 vehicles offer what I am looking for....comfort, quiet ride, good driving position and room in the back seats for adults. Other so called automotive 'experts' blasted the Fords for a lack of a third row seat. Why would you cram a third row into a vehicle that is only 185" long? Makes no sense to cut down leg room in the first two rows just to put in a third seat. The vehicles are marketed towards consumers who don't need to lug around a bunch of kids. If the Edge, MKX came with third row seats, I wouldn't even consider them.
I don't expect this type of vehicle to handle like a sports car, so why the criticism? My purpose is to buy a vehicle that is comfortable on a long trip. Quiet ride, handles like a standard car but is capable of storing large objects in the back.
As for the Edge, I would have to agree with CR, on the interior. Way to much plastic. My son who is a body shop tech blasted the Edge for the amount of cheap plastic used in the vehicle, but liked the MKX. It is a crime to put a 'cheap looking interior' in a $35K vehicle. To my way of thinking, interiors make the vehicle since one is inside behind the wheel more than looking at it from the outside. I'd spend the extra thousands for the MKX. I hope that Ford upgrades the trim used in the 2008 Edge models.
My next step is too test drive the vehicles. The Murano is certainly in the running, but is handicapped by the need to run premium fuel. Although some owners claim that using regular doesn't make a difference in the way the vehicle performs. That issue I will have to further investigate.