Efficiency, ergonomics, ease of use

After trying to nurse my reliable whirlpool along for week it died. We're a family of 5, with 3 teenagers in sports and dog. The kids all do their own laundry (the dog and husband do not) and it was important the usage be simple. Wanted improved efficiency to couple with anticipated washer purchase ( washer is currently 13 yrs old). We are a tall family.
Narrowed down to Whirlpool Duet, Bosch Nexxt 500 and the Fisher Paykel Aerosmart. I also did research on the matching washers, that influenced the final 3 options.
The top loading feature is definitely a ergonomic and economic plus. I can't believe they make the front loaders so low and then charge for pedestals to compensate for design! Who pays for pedestals? What a marketing coup, nearly as evil as bottled tap water! The price was less than Duet and same as Bosch, but you add pedestals for those units and then Aerosmart is $175-200 less.
Any how back to details. My laundry room is 6'x9'. this dryer despite its large capacity is a couple of inches less deep than other 2 units, and it doesn't need front door clearance so that was nice. Please note clearance with top up is 56 1/2 ". This required raising my cabinets (less than 1 hour labor)
Dryer is very quiet, my daughter describes it as a drone, which we can't hear at all with laundry door closed. The LED display is simple to read and use. With multiple options, which can be customized. I haven't had to do this yet, as the programmed options cover nearly everything. AND IT's POLITE!!

I read complaints about the plastic lid looking cheap. The unit I replaced and the one before that had the standard painted steel cabinets and tops. Over time these got scratched and started to discolor/rust. No you can't sit or stand on the Aerosmart's top but you can place a loaded laundry basket on top. It doesn't feel flimsy and looks fine.
In first 3 days we ran over 15 loads ( we had some catching up to do) and I now find myself washing things just to see how the dryer will perform on other settings. The top loading dryer is easy to load from my standard super capacity washer, which only fills the dryer about half way. The lint filter is self cleaning. The dryer actually collects the lint on filter and then scrapes it off when it reaches a certain depth 1/16th"? and deposits it into a large capacity (>2 cups) plastic bucket which easily pulls out. This has only needed to be emptied every 5-6 loads with normal clothes. 3 loads of towels and bedding did fill it faster. The self cleaning is a plus: less air resistance, less fire hazard, and dust doesn't scatter all over the place. Simply pull and dump. The dryer even suggested it was time to check the bin.

The wrinkle free option keeps things moving and ...wrinkle free surprise! The reverse tumbling function keeps things from getting tangled up on each other. which could also be contributing to less wrinkles.

The timed drying mode displays remaining time in cycle. I don't use this because the sensor driven modes are more energy efficient, but it did work accurately on my one use in this mode. It has cycles for many items I traditionally have not placed in dryer, stuffed animals, rubber sheets, raincoats. These I haven't tried yet. It has 2 jeans cycle options under the family mode. 1 for "fashion jeans ( those with stretch or embellishment) and the other for standard jeans, dries out those heavy seams and pockets.

Drying time is about 40 minutes, which can only improve with a HE washer. The dryer uses different levels of heat in different modes. I suppose I could manually select higher temps for faster times, but the experts have already programmed the best settings for a combination that is efficient and will not damage the fabric. It comes with a 2 year warranty over most others with 1.

Whirlpool, GE and Bosch are the more popular choices in this area. By asking around I found 4 people who have this model or Ecosmart Fisher Paykel units, they were extremely pleased. Longest has had their (ecosmart) for 3 years. If it holds up I can't imagine a better choice. Now I'll just have to wait for the washer to die a natural death...

best of luck with your decision