Ford Edge

Ford has been on a bit of a roll of late in creating appealing cars, such as the Fusion, Focus, and Mustang. The redesigned Edge five-seat crossover shows a dynamic polish and upscale cabin that befits a prestige-branded model. Deserving of a "Most Improved" trophy, the Edge brings newfound handling agility, interior refinement, and overall premium feel to the nameplate -- catapulting it near the top of our midsized SUV ratings.

The secret lies in the platform the Edge shares with the Ford Fusion sedan, another model that punches above its weight class. The Fusion's chassis delivers sublime cornering feel, and it carries over to the Edge.

It may seem a diametrically opposed pairing, but the new Edge combines the crisp handling feel of an Audi Q5 with the refined ride quality of a Lexus RX. For those unfamiliar with suspension engineering, understand that this is a near-impossible task.