I agree torque is more important to drivability, the thing that brought it home was when I compared my Sprinter van at 130hp and my mini at approx 90-100hp, yet the Sprinter weighs almost 4 times as much as the mini and can tow a trailer with the mini on it... (ok it's not as fast but...)
The difference is the Sprinter has some really chunky and consistent torque through the rev range.
You'll only feel peak hp once per gear change IF you hold the revs that high (most won't I'd suggest) where a nice flat torque curve will be felt throughout the rev range.
