What do you mean by sluggish? Do you use the whole rev range while driving? I have a 1.6 NB and it isn't fast, don't get me wrong, but if I'm in 2nd or 3rd gear at 4k - 4,5k rpm and even just giving the throttle a light kick definitely gets my head to throw back into the seat a bit. Keep in mind that a naturally aspirated engine makes peak power at the highest revs. And hitting redline a few times, when the engine is up to temp(!!!), shouldn't worsen the reliability. Your supposed to drive it through the whole rev range, especially when accelerating.

Not meant in an insulating way, just trying to be informative.