My initial thought was that the Toyota was making more torque but in reality, the two engines are very close on paper. The 190E 2.3 should start in 1st gear so that's not it either.
The only thing left is gearing. The Toyota is probably geared to provide better acceleration in "normal" U.S. style driving situations. Try driving both cars on the freeway...make some acceleration runs from 60 to 80 or so and see which car feels stronger. I think you might be surprised
