The thing with Chrome is that Google can throw a lot of resources at it, far more than Opera can, hence the hare-like pace Chrome has evolved at compared to Opera's tortoise.
I suspect, though, some of the changes in recent Chrome versions will come back to bite, namely the push towards adopting Google accounts (the first thing you see on a new install is the 'Log into Google' prompt)
I know what you mean, actually, I've been worried about the way that things I grew up with have been treated, much like the remake series of Thundercats, for example (I haven't yet brought myself to watch it...)