Agree with your points. I upgraded the springs to Eibach to raise it and level it out and ended up getting 35s when the 33s wore out. The gearing is the only thing I wonder about. I haven't been in enough Broncos to know how much difference I would feel with the 4.7 vs 4.46.
I was once in your shoes asking the same question. Ford made it easy for me: said if I kept the hardtop and Sasquatch package, the order would likely be canceled after a 2+ year wait. Covid supply chain issues and what not.
For the money, I feel like I got the best of everything with Badlands...
Made it to Broken Bow OK from DFW back in 2025 when everything else shut down. Took an extra hour due to speed, but zero driving issues. This thing is a tank.