Like many others it seems, no car on the list is the ideal choice for us. We just found the Ford to be the best compromise at the time we were choosing. I too was bothered about the gear selector being on a stalk but I’ve got completely used to it now. Ours has the driver assist pack which includes heads up display, 360 degree camera, parking assist, blind spot alert etc. If it also had 4-wheel drive, dumb cruise control and normal buttons on the steering wheel, I’d be pretty chuffed with it.
My Tucson has the gear selector on a stalk (I think all Hyundai/Kia EV’s do to) and I find it much better if I’m honest, the design also free up space for more practical stuff, especiall with EV’s that don’t need the raised tunnel for the exhaust.
The interior of the Exployer, looks more upmarket than that in VW group’s imo, even though it retains some daft niggles such as the daft window switch idea lol. Hope you enjoy your time with it.