I actually find the Tarutaru in FFXI to be cuter than the lalafell we have in FFXIV. However I prefer the facial design of the Miqo'te over the more feline looking faces of the Mithra in FFXI. TBH when it comes to the 3 other races in FFXI and their counterparts here in terms of faces they look the same overall to me aside from the FFXIV side having more detail.

Personally I rarely play a tall character in a game if given a choice because there are few tall character options I find in games that I really like and also tend to not be a real fan of bulky muscular builds either. At the same time I don't often play really short characters (in that 3ft-ish range) in games either unless I find their design and appearance really cute.