Compared to pre-merger SPG I suppose the new Gold status is similar on paper except that we lose guaranteed 4 pm checkout and get 2 pm subject to availability... and with so many higher tiers, upgrades will probably be few and far between.
I’ve certainly enjoyed the Marriott Gold I’ve had since the merger, and am disappointed that I’ll no longer have access to breakfast/lounges, but it always seemed like a bit of a fluke/temporary concession as part of the merger as Marriott hasn’t been as aggressive as Hilton in bundling status with credit cards... even the Chase Ritz Carlton card only gave Gold for the first year and required (a fairly reasonable) 10k annual spend to renew it in subsequent years.