Deep POV, close-third, can be hugely successful at connecting characters and readers. One of the things I look for is whether the narration reflects the character's tone and personality.
An external third person narrator might say: "Though the hour was early, the streets still populated themselves with the odd shopper. Some had clearly risen for a pre-dawn doorbuster, but others gathered themselves and their misplaced keys to shuffle home at last."
A close third person narrator might say: "Monica groaned. How did she let him talk her into getting up so early? The living didn't rise this early; it was unnatural!
"'Fudge!' She swore, swerving around a drunk as he stumbled off the curb and into the street. She checked the rearview out of reflex as she passed. In the amber street light she saw him fishing around the pavement for something -- likely his keys--, and hoped the next driver didn't make a smear of him.
"Stopping for a red, she squinted out the window at abberant mortals as they crowded around the too-bright entrance of a Macy's.
"Dear sweet baby Jesus on ice! What was that woman wearing!
"Leopard print and virulent pink polkadots danced nervously at the back of the crowd, hypnotizing Monica at the wheel.
"Had she even bothered to change out of her pajamas? Were those pajamas? She was clearly too old for those to be her pajamas."
Both approaches give similar setting information, but one is an observer's description of something, while the other is a person's personal experience of the moment observed. The benefit of the latter is how much information you can convey about the character's personality and personal views while still setting the scene without the need for infodumping later.
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