I just put new standard Bilsteins on the front of my wagon, and I'm very pleased. It really firmed up the front of the car and took a lot of the lean out of it in corners. Yet all the "comfort" aspects of the ride remained. I would not want to put a too-stiff shock on this car, because I enjoy the smooth ride (and I consider myself a "performance" driver). I think a real stiff shock, as you said, would not work well with the cushy rear ride characteristics of the wagon suspension.
That said, I'm now in the market for new air cells for the rear suspension to try to firm that up a bit!
