Within reason the aircraft doesn't matter, what matters is how good the syllabus is and how good the instructor is.
Part of the problem is the legacy issue, that is I did maneuver X when i did my training so you must do it too. Or in general training informed by the concept "that's the way we have always done it".
The other issue is when bean counters put arbitrary limits on how much training they want to pay for
However that been said the best all around ab initio trainer I ever used was a Canadian Chippy ( ie with the blown canopy) that had been re-engined with a Lycoming. The only downside was the fact that the poor student was going to compare all subsequent aircraft he flew to the Chippy....... and find them wanting.
For advanced training the T 28 Trojan was pretty good. It was at heart pretty forgiving but still powerful enough to get the blood racing.