I want GOBS of torque right off of idle (read: Diesel) - but that's me. Its what I grew up with, its what I find driveable, its what I like. High revs do nothing for me. Yes, good drivetrain gearing helps immensely (and good luck finding THAT today), but lack of low end annoys me - you don't have to gear down as much/often if the engine has the low end power to accomplish the job in the first place.
My employer had a Ranger pickup - had to rev the damn thing over 3K to even BEGIN to get anything out of it - and yea, you had to not just shift outta OD, you had to go down 2 gears to make it over an overpass! Not my idea of fun - completely gutless even compared to an early 70s Mercedes Diesel!