I think more options to circumvent Engineering, and the associated material grind, would be good. Say via pre-engineered Modules on offer. Now, I'm not talking "best in class" stuff like has been offered as mission rewards / unlocks in the past, but more middle of the road type thing. I.e. a certain Faction can provide the player with a G3 Long Range (for example) FSD as a higher cost. It's like what the Guardian modules offer in some respects. I.e. I could Engineer a far better Power Plant, but the Guardian one is generally good enough, and there's no grind after the initial unlock.
I did find it odd in the game that there's like ONE make of FSD, not models from different manufacturers that have different properties. I mean, we have the grades from A to E for some modules, but that's not really what I'd have liked to see. Plus, they're uniform. I.e. this is CHEAP and rubbish, this is LIGHT and rubbish, this is "ok", this is heavy (tough) and pretty good and this is "the best".
We currently grind materials, level up with Engineers and burn through multiples of materials to reach just a mid-range G3 roll. BORING! I'd rather fly to such and such a faction's space, buy the "better at the thing I want, worse at the thing I don't" version of something and use that.
There are some modules like this in the game already, such as the Enhance Performance Thrusters, which can still be Engineered. While only Class 1 to 3 (IIRC) these are leagues ahead of a regular A-Rated Thruster for the given class. Some of the Power Play reward modules are similar in many ways.
Basically, if you want the ABSOLUTE best in (size) Class for a given item, you'll need to Engineer a regular Module. However, if you are happy with say just a Grade 3 level boost, perhaps a module from one of the "Specialist" Module manufacturers would be all you need. No material grind, no engineers, just a few more credits initial outlay.
This could extend to most module, be it a Manufacturer that produces Efficient weapons, another produces Long Range ones... you get the idea. I'd suggest that such weapons cannot be further engineered, like Guardian Modules.
I think the difference between a "Specialist" module and a full G5 + Experimental rolled Engineered one need not be vast. I'd suggest they'd have maybe 50 to 80% of the headline feature, but with associated down-side(s). I.e. the "Specialist" Long-range FSD, might be able to provide 80% of the Jump Range of the best bespoke Engineered FSD, but it's a bit heavier, a bit hotter (more power), more delicate etc. etc. There needs to be trade offs. I think there are those who will still want the "best of the best" and Engineer to their exact requirements. Great, that option is available to all. However, those after a better option without Engineering should have them in the form of "Specialist" modules available from certain places in the bubble.
Note: when Engineering was first introduced, I was generally more than happy with a basic G3 roll. Back then that used just ONE lot of materials, not three plus as it does now. Having "ready to buy" modules that provided that, but couldn't be Engineered any further, would be great.
Basically, another way to get a proportion of the benefits of Engineering, with out all the associated faff. I'd love that.