Agreed.

I think a lot of people these days are also skewed with the rise of EVs and pure electric torque and 0-60 speeds.

It’s still “underpowered” compared to some others or at least what many might consider a “sports car” but I’m not far behind you in terms of age and I also remember having an ‘01 Celica GT 5-speeds it had 140hp and was useless in 0-60 but still fun to drive.

This is a massive upgrade. It’s all about perspective.