The new Ford's and Chrysler vehicles all come with Closed Cooling Systems (Don't know about GM or the imports). It almost seems Renault/Jeep was ahead of its time.
Granted, I never had a closed cooling system, and looking at it, I would worry about the durability and longevity of that plastic bottle exposed to the pressure and heat of the cooling system. And judging from the posts, that does seem to be the weak spot of the system.
As well, I don't see how an open system (if the coolant recovery is working properly) would be an different than a closed system in performance and durability. Keeping the plastic expansion tank isolated from the heat & pressure of the cooling system seems to me to be a good thing. As well, I do like the ability to open the pressure cap on the radiator and look inside it to judge its condition.
But, the big manufacturers wouldn't switch to another system if there wasn't a good reason. Whats the benefit of the closed system over the open system?