Panther Balance?

This somewhat relates to an old post I had about Wunderwaffe and their fuel usage, but in short: given the high cost of a Panther, when do you use it?

Some doctrines (e.g. Luftwaffe) cannot build a tank heavier than the Panther, so I can see the idea there.

Others (e.g. Wunderwaffe), I can’t see where the Panther is in the game meta. Generally mid game I’ll use a Panzer IV, by mid-late I generally take the Tiger I over the Panther. Manpower is about the same, and Tiger uses 180 fuel vs 225 for the Panther.

While the Panther is faster (and that has some benefits), generally I think the Tiger I has better performance?

Once I hit late game (or if mid is going well), I go for the King Tiger.

Where does the Panther fit in the meta?

And on a related note, do you find yourself using fuel as Wunderwaffe? Since the KT is manpower only, I find late game I float massive amounts of fuel as my meta is focused on Jagers and the KT.