Those things are subjective, not factual. The exception being bugs of course, although it depends what you mean by "lots". Some people seem to encounter more than a few bugs while others are luckier.
I don't care for the combat at all, but everything else about the game is fantastic considering its age.
My list is far more objective than your claim that everything else is fantastic. Fantastic is a pretty bold term. Do you really find the user interface to be "fantastic"? Do you really find the character development system to be "fantastic"? The story was "fantastic"? The hunger system was "fantastic"? You're the one who is not being objective. Let's apply a "reasonable man standard" to the game:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_person
Would a reasonable man find everything but the combat to be fantastic? I simply don't believe that to be true.
The level of interactivity was quite impressive (Ultima 6 had massive interactivity, as well). The depth of NPC characterization was impressive, as well (Ultima 6 had pretty good characterization but not to 7's level). As for the bugs, I encountered a hell of a lot, which further added to my low opinion.
I liked Ultima 6 the best in the series, but there are plenty of things to criticize:
(1) Clunky interface
(2) Ridiculously tiny viewport
(3) Peering at a gem reveals far less detail than in prior games
(4) Certain obscure mechanics:
(4a) Dispel magic removes poison and sleep
(4b) Vanish makes traps disappear
(5) Game can be majorly sequence broken, bypassing the entire tablet quest (which accounts for a huge chunk of the game)
(6) Almost all of the NPCs don't even mention the gargoyle threat [EDIT]
See…I can be objective. You make a ridiculous statement like:
"I don't comprehend how anyone could "hate" Ultima 7."
I, then, provide a list of the things that I didn't like. Instead of acknowledging that there might be the slightest merit to my criticisms (excluding the bugs), you simply state:
"Those things are subjective, not factual."
I'm happy that you enjoyed the game, but I really hated it. Different strokes for different folks…