> I wish there were a terminal that behaves more like a file browser

Oh man, you are gonna love this. In Plasma 5, hitting F4 in a file browser toggles a pop-up terminal in the folder you're in. As you navigate the directory tree, the shell actually follows you - and vice versa when you type `cd`! Working directory is always kept synchronized. If you split the file manager into a two-pane layout (another great feature), the terminal working directory follows whichever pane has focus. And of course you can drag files into the terminal and it pastes the path.

It's basically exactly what you asked for, and it is indeed fantastic. Plasma 5 is fantastic. Light years ahead.