Even up to 1945 the Panzer IV was always the backbone and the workhorse of the Wehrmacht and it was overal a 'decent' medium tank, it had it's flaws, like narrow tracks and well the amunition was really stored in every corner of the tank not to mention the armor layout was well outdated. But it got the job done, it's crews knew the vehicle and it had an excelent logistic behind it.
What people often forget, is that almost no vehicle in WW2 was a completely new design, almost every tank that saw combat, was based on older prototypes or actually developed before WW2, like the Panzer III, Panzer IV, T34, etc. And even the Tiger I and the Panther have been based on prototypes which started as blue prints in the early 1930s. The whole process from desgining to actual serial production of a tank can take between 4 and 7 years - on average. Not to mention of all the issues that come with it, like unreliability, production issues and other flaws that you simply don't have with an vehicle which has seen some extensive use.
If you ask me, the most effective vehicle the Germans had, was probably the Stug. It was produced in very largen umbers, it had a powerfull gun, a low profile and considering the situation the Germans faces in the later stage of the war - defensive - it was a very dangerous weapon. Probably much more than the Tiger, which saw maybe 1300 units compared to some of the aproximately 8000 stugs and 8000 Panzer IVs with the long anti tank guns.
Ofc it was overhyped but it is still one of the most badass tanks out there! Just reading about what Michael Wittmann did with a single tank is quite awesome.
But outside of WW2 i do actually look more at the usefullness seeing how my current favorite tank is the russian T90 i guess.
No doubt. DOn't get me wrong, I don't want to trivilaize the feats of individuals like Wittmann, Carius, Bolter etc. But, those are individuals, when you look at them, their achievements haven been also impressive in vehicles outside the Tiger I. Like Wittmann who started his career inside a Stug if I remember correctly, and where he also destroyed a considerable amount of armor. However, I want to say one thing, Wittmann was THE poster boy for the Waffen SS, and there is a hell of a lot of propaganda that surounds him that's something one has to keep in mind.
What I am trying to say is, their achievements have probably less to do with the Tiger but more with their individual skills. I mean you can look at the other nations and you will find tank aces in the Firefly, the Sherman, the T34, the IS2, the KV1 etc. Particularly with the KV1e you have some really remarkable individuals. However, the KV1 sees much less interest by WW2 enthusiasts compared to the German "Zoo" (Tiger, Panther, Elephant).
.
