Your unexotic stock electric car drives and feels like a white goods appliance though.

Sure electric in raw numbers wins on top trumps.

This is fine for a lot of people who want to go to A to B and car is just a tool to do that

Cars like the GR Corolla are about the engaging driving experience, the road feel / handling, the gear shifts, usable power, not outright top speed. It's a machine and some people like mastering controlling the machine and that mastery makes them smile, some even find fun.