When you liked the Ultra Strat, well there's to a whole strat universe to discover.
The N3s American deluxe SSS had a better S1 switching and allowed for putting the outer SCs with the middle SCs in series which made a kind of humbucker effect. That's an alternative for the HSS version. The guitars also were built very good. Compound radius necks, 2pt trem, rounded neck joint and so on.
The elite/N4 series wasn't that much of a step forward, some more bite for the SCs and that zebra shawbucker HB, that is less fat and supplies more highs, which is great, but I'd like some fatter bottom also. The series switching got changed and taken away there.
The N5/ Ultra pickups sound different. N3s are fatter, N5s less fat, but they deliver lots of smooth highs, some vintage vibe, both modern and vintage do that. The double tap isn't a bad HB. It's good when split to SC mode, but it isn't an SC.
Too me you don't go wrong with either version, the SC have different outputs but sound similar. The humbucker is good, but a noiseless SC can also get played with higher gain, so...
That series switching on the SSS from the N3s would have been a good idea, though.