I agree.
The best class for me *, the class that by far helped me the most in 'real life', was one where the textbook was the daily newspaper. We started with the 20minutes, progressed (if you can call it that ) to the Blick, then the Tagi, then the NZZ.
We'd read an article, then discuss it. I picked up far more useful vocabulary, developed a better understanding of grammar, using this approach than I did in any class using a traditional textbook.
*Note that I said 'for me'. It really is difficult to say that one method or another is 'the best', as we all learn differently. The important thing is to understand how you learn most effectively, and then find an course/book based on that.