Personally, I like turbocharged torque for every day driving, a lot. I recall the Honda S2000 that had a lot of power but little low end torque, probably fun to drive at 9/10ths but like a Civic around town, sort of. But I do think a "sports car" should be more focused on high RPM power even if it means less low end grunt.
A thing I like about our GTI is I can accelerate comfortably from 75 mph on the freeway in top gear, or take a mountain grade on a freeway in top gear. But the engine isn't free wheeling. Anyway, it's interesting for me to see the work that GM put into this vehicle for low sales numbers. I've always thought it a bit amusing that Corvettes had relied on pushrod designs (with a rare exception here and there).