Geez, I don't want to imagine anything that rides worse than the old 2004-2007 STi. I want to want another STI, but if I'm going all in on a stiff car right now my money is on the RS. For my real dollars I'm probably getting a Golf R.
You can have an aggressive & stiff suspension on a not that stiff of a frame...will ride rough all day and be tough to dial regardless of socks...then add over-stiffened rear sway to counter understeer from badly managing weight transfer that gets exacerbated by the easily added extra power and...boom, your average "tuned" STI. "Perfect" for a daily driver
addle:
The new WRX is just a new class of car.
I agree that if you have the $, the RS is probably the best dialed "wild" Hatch out there. A 21st century EVO.
The flamboyant AMG A45 - even if it was available in the US - might be faster in a straight line @ stock, and perhaps the slightly less powerful GLA 45AMG still is, but neither is as refined as either the RS or the Golf R despite the heftier price, with the latter being the low-key "king" of hatchbacks...