I definitely prefer VW to SS. Claude makes the story more interesting than a route where Byleth is on his own, even though I like Flayn and Seteth they can't carry like Claude does.
In addition, having the Golden Deer, a group of misfits with no real history with each other, apart from Ignatz and Raphael, slowly turn into this cohesive group of friends was heartwarming. I think the BE having two routes actually hurts them since it shows the only motivation they have for picking a side is because of Byleth.
The lore 'dump' makes sense since Claude is the only person actively seeking out the truth amongst the whole cast. The truth about Byleth in SS very easily could have said in VW.