Which is Absurdly Rigged?

I'm not too well-versed on Nu Gundam, so I suppose it's not even right for me to comment here. But I DO know Strike Freedom pretty well. If there's one thing I know about the SEED universe, it's that the ultimate Gundam is only ultimate until the next model surpasses it. The Strike Freedom succeeded the Impulse, which succeeded the Freedom, which succeeded the Strike. Most of these successions came by overwhelming victory over that suit's predecessor, and until something in the same vein came up, it was superior to everything else. Given than Kira (and later Shinn) was the the main protagonist and pilot, naturally his suit would be the best.

Also keep in mind that each suit was a virtual testbed for new technologies, which then became significantly improved in the next model. The Freedom was an attempt at utilizing all the Strike's Packs at once; the Impulse's Silhouettes went back to the original idea, improving upon each Pack's idea; Strike Freedom then goes on to surpass Freedom's design specifications, and should definitely be capable, having another two years of technology over the Impulse, and an onboard reactor.

At the end of the series, both Infinite Justice and Strike Freedom were undamaged by enemy attacks, a testament to the suits that went before them as much as the technology they, themselves had. Given how the suits all progressed in the SEED universe, being unscathed at series end only makes sense. But if a few more years went by, and conflict once again arose, would they still retain that superiority? Doubtful.