Keep in mind that peak torque is when the cylinders are most efficiently being filled with air (aka volumetric efficiency). There's a limit to how much torque you can get out of a certain displacement engine without help from forced induction. Getting it at lower RPMs is even more of an engineering challenge.
The Mazda MVP (minivan) has the 2.5L Duratec in it, I read a review of it where the reviewer said it was slow. This may have had something to do with his other comment that the automatic transmission was shifting at 4700RPM with the pedal to the floor. I think we all know that's not quite an optimum shift point for the Duratec!
Brian
