Your question is more about your location and summertime humidity,overall comfort, and cost difference. You have to make the decision.

IMO

we have a trane two stage compressor. with the tam7 airhandler. we are in sw florida, if that helps. i believe american standard is a rebranded trane, but im not sure of that...
we have no complaints. our home was a new build, four yesrs old extremely well insulated, great windows, obvioysly new and well sealed ductwork, in semi conditioned space. . we almost never have the second stage kick in...
if you're not well insulated, at least you will probably only run in first stage in shoulder season, saving some power and short cycling.
if you're in a high humiduty area as we are, you mught also consuder a whole house dehumidifier. we. can set the ac at 79 or 80, and feel very comfortable. reversible ceiling fans in all rooms but kitchen and dining.

I know that location/cost is a factor, but I guess my question also has a reliability component or anything else I should be aware of.

I’m in Florida, btw. Currently have a single stage 2.5 ton unit. It’s fine most of the time, but struggles when I have a large group or is a very hot day. Upgrading to a 3.0 ton, but that will be oversized a lot of the time. That’s why I know I want a multi stage unit. I’ve read that variable provides the best comfort, but realibility is unknown/questionable. I couldn’t find any additional details on that statement.

also, initial cost difference between the two units is only $800, so don’t mind spending the extra money if it’s an improvement.

Most 2 stage units run 67-75% of full capacity on stage 1. So a 3 ton unit will run at 2-2.25 tons in low (most of the time - good for dehumidification) and 3 tons in high (on those less-frequent occasions when you need it). Sounds like that would suit your needs just fine without being oversized "a lot of the time". I think the most comfort bang-for-the-buck comes with the jump from single stage to two stage. Variable speed (inverter) based systems seem to be the way of the future, though.

Repair and replacement parts for the multi stage units are pricey, so it's not just the initial acquisition cost. If that is not an issue for you then it may be worth it. I have heard nothing but good things about these units regarding humidity control. The technology is getting better, however they are still not as reliable as single stage systems. They have many more components and more opportunities to fail.

Thanks everyone. I went with the two stage as that seems to offer improvement over a single stage unit and mitigate some of the risk of pricey repairs on a full variable system.