I completely agree with ALL of your sentiments! If someone hasn't been in an F-150 lately, they'll be shocked by how nice the interior is - design, details and even quality. If I was to go buy a full-size truck, F-150 would probably be on the top of my list just because it's
so good.
When the new Tundra came out, I had extremely high hopes for it after so many years without a redesign, GA-F hype, turbo hybrid motor, 450 lb weight loss, etc. The first time I saw one in person, I was quickly disappointed. What looks like nice detailing on the doors and dash in pictures is sort of cheaply stamped details on flimsy plastic in person. A lot of creaks in the interior when you start pressing on panels and trim.
... and those were only first impressions on a parked vehicle. Fast forward to what we know now that they've been on the road for a year and a half: a few rounds of different turbo problems and a number of bought back trucks, misaligned exterior panels, huge panel gaps, wind noise problems, electronic gremlins, interior trim pieces that crack and break, the list goes on. Those are the types of things we laughed at GM and Ford for, and I would say the Tundra now seems to have more problems and concerns than all of them right now.
To
@Brandon B's point, TMNA has to fight and scrap for every dollar of budget that goes into these BOF products and it becomes abundantly clear that the folks in Japan don't value them the same way that the decision makers at Ford or GM do. Toyota has the Camry and RAV4 (GA-K) and Ford has the F-150. Priorities.
It's my expectation that Toyota will remedy some of these issues (hopefully quickly) over the next few months and years, but the un-Toyotaness of the Tundra is pretty disheartening (It's also why I'm buying a current gen Tacoma and not waiting for the new one). While the semi-aniline leather is nice, I would never spend "Capstone" money on a car with worse plastics and panel gaps than a Corolla. All that to say... I think you made a great choice 😀