1. It uses Google DNS internally, bypassing system DNS.
2. First-run analytics to Google, new tab page analytics to Google.
3. Various built-in google services that phone home: Google Host Detector, Google URL Tracker, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Hotwording, Google Safe Browsing, WiveDine DRM, Google AutoFill, etc.
4. Update checks for all these components (the browser does not have update, but the rest does).
5. Countless accesses to Google, such as geo-location to find nearest Google server, ping probes for connectivity, etc. For a list of domains that are accessed by Chromium, see this regex used by the ungoogled-chromium project: https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium/blob/30969fddf...
I see no problem with neither Chrome nor Firefox defaulting to Google search and suggestions, as that is easily configurable for normal users. All of the above, however, is not.
> and uses Google search suggestions (so sends all typed in text to Google)
This is not true. Firefox explicitly asks you the first time you start typing a search in the location bar whether to allow search suggestions. It is opt-in.
Firefox also allows you to keep the location/search bar separate so that you can have search suggestions without sending every URL you type to Google.
The Newtab adverts are not served by Google IIRC and they are only matched with you data locally in your browser, you get a lot of them from Mozilla and locally on your machine they get targeted so you aren't tracked online (If my memory of the article on it is correct)
There are forks that try to strip Google from it, but it is a mistake to assume that Chromium is somehow better than Chrome.