I say go for it, very few newer cars feel like this one at this price point.
I'm coming up on 8 years of ownership with my 2014. Have a little over 100,000 miles on the odometer and it still puts a smile on my face.
I average 26 mpg mixed driving. Side note - it drinks premium fuel only.
I'd say reliability has been pretty good considering how much hard driving it sees. Other than regular maintenance, I've replaced the rear wheel bearings back in 2020, a cracked radiator earlier this year, and recently the throwout bearing along with new clutch.
Off the top of my head, the 2 common issues are:
1) Valve spring recall on the 2013 models (production range Dec 9, 2011 - July 2, 2013). I would avoid these models since dealer mechanics have been known to do shoddy work to try and fix it.
2) Throwout bearing (TOB) wearing out prematurely on 2013-2016 models, requiring the trans to be dropped and replace with revised 2017+ part. I've read some members having theirs wear out around 50k-60k miles, but mine lasted 100k miles, so it can vary.
The manual shifter feels great in my opinion. Some reviews/journalists also tend to agree. Compared to other sporty cars I've driven, the shifter definitely feels better than a BMW M2 and Challenger Hellcat. Only shifters I've tried that were better are a Porsche 911 and a Civic Type-R.
The handling is also very good, especially if you're coming from Ford Edge
Steering is precise and decent feel for an electric rack. Very little body roll compared to most cars.
For the most part, the car is pretty easy to work on/modify. But reaching the spark plugs is a big of a tight squeeze though; some people raise the engine a bit to make it easier.
If you have the budget and space, I'd highly recommend having separate summer and winter tires, especially if you're doing any sporty driving/autocross. All-seasons will feel squishier, less precise, less grippy and overheat easier compared to a real summer tire.