Thanks for your comment, @Major Ledfoot.
In my opinion, the 1974 Volvo 145 manual with fuel injection was one of the best motor vehicles ever produced.
Of course the power to weight ratio of the vehicle is very important, as you imply.
Toyota was producing fuel injected 2 litre engines in the middle of the 1980s that only produced 77 kW, yet Volvo was producing fuel injected 2 litre B20E and B20F engines more than ten years earlier that produced more power than this.
I nearly had a heart attack when I learnt for the first time a few years ago from Wikipedia that Volvo 144s and 145s had fuel injected engines, as well as carburettor engines. My mother had a 1974 Volvo 144 automatic with a carburettor engine. While the handling of the vehicle was good, the automatic transmission and the lack of power that you cited meant that it was effectively unviable as a motor vehicle.
I can only imagine what a manual 145 with injection would be like to drive. It must be like a rally car. They really did seem to be indestructible.
(The reason I prefer the 145 to the 144 is obviously for the cargo space in the rear.)
