Hey Jbob14—nice to meet a fellow ex-4XE owner. Like you, I went from a Trailhawk parked in a recall lot to a Trailhunter safe in my garage. Unsurprisingly, I agree with the points you made.
To answer the OP directly: I actually prefer the more truck-like ride of the 4R. It's less refined, but...
I get the confusion. For me it comes down to two things: positive mechanical cargo lock vs. friction-only carpet, and cleanability/maintainability. I'm currently using a platform built for my old Jeep that I hastily modified to fit before heading on a 10k mile trip. Long trip left me with tons...
I had dark tint on last vehicle and regrettably got matte black on my new 4r. While it does look good, it definitely makes the cabin feel smaller and impacts visibility. The dark tint looks almost the same and yet still allows you to see through it from inside the vehicle. Just my $.02