The weight of the vehicle has NOTHING to do with the power produced from the engine.
Seriously.... WHAT?
Ever heard or seen those old american cars with their big displacement engines and making less hp/l than todays hatchbacks? Wait, i'll give you a better example. The favorite 4e-fte? A 1.3 turbo that you could find in almost every dinky in pakistan and that could still beat a 400hp supra? Not every 1.3L engine makes the same hp. You really need to learn more what really makes an engine churn out more hp than just the size of it. Technological Advancements.
About your civic's statement. For the people who have no clue about engine mods, they will just put in a h22 or f20 in their 95's and start racing it around like its a LS1. For the guys who have knowledge, the reason for these swaps is to achieve better performance gains from doing the correct mod's. Gain's that cannot be possible with the more restricted smaller displacement engines.
If the gear ratio's were shortened on the newer gen coroalla, that would result in the better pickup. I'm sure that's the only reason why some people might feel that the newer gen corolla feels more powerful and it would be true too if the 11th gen can pull ahead from the 10th gen thanks to the shorter gear ratios.
The first real answer to this thread. The 2NZ is a old engine. Just like the 2C that toyota was using uptil now and yet have to replace it with the CR diesel they offer in Europe and everywhere else.
For those of you saying the 2nz has better low end torque, compare the figures above.
2NZ-FE (121Nm @4400rpm)
L13Z1 (128Nm @4300rpm)
Honda obviously made the mistake of stating that the L13Z1 produces 128 lb/ft on their official website LOL. Thats like 170+Nm. NOOBS.