Honestly? I think Iori is supposed to be a point character in this game. 1250/1500 MAX only marginally add to his damage in combos, his metered damage seems on the lower end of what people can do even in the trailer, and all of his ex moves are bad outside of combos except ex DP, which is a DP. He gets no damage gain from 1250 to 1500 either. Additionally, that damage pales in comparison to what Shun Sylvie and Kyo are doing in the demo with MAX, and what we've several other characters do in the exhibition builds.
His battery combos are easier to do, and if you are in the corner they'll even do more damage. Or what if you use him as a battery? His meterless combos on average are higher than most characters, and always give you juicy hard knockdowns.
He has plenty of options without meter, his damage doesn't really improve much with more max gauge, and there are potential anchor characters that will do more with that meter and extra max gauge in later positions. I think he should be on point, optimally.