Ainīt that the truth... the plane that puts food on the table is the best one in the world, even if it was an Y-10 or something.
I did not yet get the opportunity to try an ATR (and having read Your words, am less than sorry about this) or an Airbus, but compared to the -300, the -400 is a much better aircraft in most respects. And compared to the Fokker 70/100, which I experienced as a rather thought-out, easy to handle straight-forward workhorse (with the F100 having been my favourite among those two), in my eyes, the -400 is a capricious diva; and just as You wrote with regards to the Airbus - the comparison is favourable in a few, neutral in many, but rather unfavourable in several other aspects.
So the Mantra of the -400 pilot should be "Itīs not a bug, itīs a feature", and when equipped with a slightly sarcastic mindset, one can indeed find some enjoyment flying this odd aircraft...