So you're saying you'll get a slight neck snap in the new Fiesta ST but the Clio's smooth torque curve will make it feel slower but will be exactly on par?
Thats what happens in a lot of cases with turbo cars, if the turbo isnt holding on at the top end while it might feel dramatic you are at a mechanical disadvantage having to be in a higher gear to keep it near the top of that torque curve.
Ultimately, BHP counts for more than Torque does, but you do still need a decent spread of it relative to the width of the gears.
Cossie versus evo is often like you describe, if talking about a modified escort on standard turbo versus a modified evo 8 for example (both at 400bhp on what I consider to be a "typical" tune for each), the escort has a huge surge of midrange, but then dies off, evo feels slower and less dramatic but isnt, they are the same pace pretty much.