After finally making it through +300 comments, I'm on the same page as B4ND1T, csumpasd and rightsaidfred.
As someone new to Orion, I was thrilled to have found a browser that overall looks and feels like Safari while embracing the customisation and functionality we've been longing for. I'd argue all of us here were actively seeking an alternative browser that offered the Safari experience but on steroids.
While I understand the preferences of the Orion team, my impression is that these—justified and reasoned—creative liberties are stepping away from the Safari experience and start building its own. And that's fine, but I'm not so sure how well that's sitting with an Orion user base that's so fond of the native macOS visuals and functionality.
As this thread reflects, opinions are very polarised and there won't be a consensus given our different workflows. But there doesn't have to be; this is not necessarily an either-or situation. Hopefully in a near future, if time and resources allow for it, we'll see both options implemented peacefully. A part of what makes Orion so unique is its customisation.
In my humble opinion, I would've reversed the implementation order and started with Safari's—widely tested, already familiar and very much expected by most—compact tabs. With its pros and cons, but putting Safari first. This could've been a solid starting point for an Orion alternative, tweaked, tested and adapted for those with more particular needs.