It's not as bad when you drive around town but when we go on a long trip the car feels really heavy and engine becomes really busy when passing others or going up on highway hills. We are a family of 5 including a 60 pound dog and go on trips often and really need it a little more power. I'm 6'1 and weight 220 pounds...Maybe I need to lose weight lol!
I've never felt down on power with my 2.0L AWD and I'm often on steep mountain pass highways. I'm not afraid to floor it when I need an extra boost of power but it's almost never necessary. I am 6-04" and 210 lbs. so I'm not a small person. Even loaded up with four adult men and all their gear I don't even need to floor it on the mountain passes so I don't understand all this talk of too little power. I have a Volvo sedan that makes 272 hp so I know the difference but I just don't see why anyone would need more power unless they were pulling a large trailer or driving over 10,000 feet.
I actually like winding the engine into the mid rpm band - it sounds/feels sweet.