Need help/info on a new elliptical

I had one that lasted 10 years til it broke (forgot the brand). Loved the stride on it. Replaced it a couple of years ago with a Nordic Track Commercial 14.9, which I absolutely hate. Handle positioning sucks. Body lean (forward) sucks. I've had to cut sheet metal to reposition the pedals forward and put 6" blocks on the front frame in order to reduce front lean and make it semi-comfortable.

But.......I hate the stride. It is too vertical and awkward. As such just can't get going fast enough on the NT elliptical & it gives me more of a strength type of workout rather than cardio. Just can't get going fast enough on the NT for a proper cardio workout.

I've gone back to my incline treadmill for my daily cardio. At least on the treadmill I can get my heart rate up and maintain it easily for 45 min. Unfortunately, knee pain comes and goes with the treadmill.

IOW I, (my joints) want to jog on my elliptical for my cardio........45 min to an hour daily while watching TV.

I've enjoyed the Precor commercial ones at my son's apartment in Denver. Now the Precor and the previous one I enjoyed were both rear driven/wheel, with a more comfortable horizontal stride. The Nordic Track front driven & more vertical.

So do I look into rear driven as they are more horizontal strides and more akin to jogging vs the front more vertical stair stepping types? Or is it just bad ergonomics on the Nordic Track?

Looking for suggestions before I make a trip into town to try to check out what's available. Thanks.