I think shipping microG by default is a fine choice nowadays. In default setup, it doesn't connect to Google servers at all (/e/ might have different configuration though), but it enables maps and geolocation in apps (using different APIs, not Google). It is also relatively small (4 MB should not be a problem on most devices). That said, I think a no-gapps build would be nice to have, too.
(I use LineageOS as well, though. It works with microG too, but you need to get a build from here instead of the official one: https://lineage.microg.org/)
I gave /e/OS and microG a whirl when I bought my Fairphone (Murena preinstalls it on the phones they sell in the US), and it was cool how much it was able to do without the "real" gApps, but two snags ended up being showstoppers and pushed me to my usual LineageOS+gApps:
1. The Google account for my day job has various security settings that block authentication under various circumstances, including (I guess) Google services running under different signatures/IDs than expected
2. The App Lounge was really crashy for reasons I was never able to discern, and there was little rhyme or reason to certain Play Store apps being missing or uninstallable (namely: my banking app and T-Mobile's voicemail app)
Yeah, I've ran into a fair share of integrity-related problems on microG myself. Notably, apps for most banks I use work fine, but e. g. McDonalds app outright refuses to run. No discounted burgers for me I guess!
(I use LineageOS as well, though. It works with microG too, but you need to get a build from here instead of the official one: https://lineage.microg.org/)