The common opinion is that the Panther was the best tank to come out of WWII. I have to agree that the Panther was the best "All-around" tank of the war.
The Panther was a medium tank like the Sherman and the T-34. Neither can compare with the Panther's firepower, frontal armor, and mobility combination. The T-34/85 is close but doesn't have the Panther's ability to hit at long range. The Sherman can't even keep up with the Panther on the open road so it's not even a factor. Even the later "Easy 8" Sherman compares poorly.
Yes, when it first rolled out it had some problems. Yea well, so did the M-16 rifle and the F-14 Tomcat. ...big deal. Problems can be fixed.
The question may be what about the King Tiger, JS-III or the M-26 Pershing (not listed but probably should have been)? They are all monsters with thick hides and killer guns. True.
The King Tiger was to heavy and slow to get around very well. However it may rank as the best tank in "defense".
The JS-III is the Russian answer to the King Tiger. Slightly more mobile than the King T with a better armor layout. But it's 122mm gun can't complete with the Tiger or the Panther at range. One heck of a punch but not too accurate.
The M-26 has good mobility, fair armor for a heavy, and a decent gun. But like the JS-III it came out too late to really be considered a WWII tank.
What I like about the Panther against the heavies is that it can easily take them from the side or rear, even at range. It's gun is that good. No other medium tank can make that claim. (Later Shermans maybe.)
Speed, mobility, armor, firepower, the Panther is the only medium that compete with the heavies on anything close to equal terms. A WWII medium tank is an "all-purpose" weapons platform. In this respect, the Panther wins.