Yes I also looked at WRX/Levorg as options, however for me if I was going to go for a less practical car I figured I may as well go the whole way
Also the interior of the VW is so much nicer place to sit than a base model WRX which is what was in my budget and the WRX still doesn't come with eyesight and has the CVT as auto option.
I think the new WRX when it is released late this year will probably fix a number of these issues, however it would have meant waiting for another 9-12 months and by that time my Liberty would have been out of warranty and over 100,000km on the odometer which would make it a lot less desirable as a trade-in or selling privately.
WRX premium is better but still a step down in terms of interior trims/hard plastic surfaces compared to the Liberty/Legacy but also added $5k to the price.
Levorg was vetoed by my wife as she has a particular aversion to station wagons.