Nothing fancy - Just a lift kit, fender extenders, wheels and tires. Nice bright red wrap, a 5G tablet and sound. And the wife wants power windows. Works for me.
You are right on the tire portion of it at least, though this might be somewhat optimizable with higher quality tires run at optimal tire pressures. I don't see rims making any difference, and I doubt a lift kit will make a huge difference running local errands. There will always be trade offs...
I must admit, I agree with what you are saying. I placed a reservation early on not knowing at that point how the finished Slate could be modified, or exactly how I would modify it. Like you, all I really see are the acknowledged urban styles with an occasional farm style with wood bed stakes...