Mine will certainly pull away gently at about or below 2K though you do need to be less gentle if you want to pull away sideways even in the wet; it has done about 1300 miles and has had its first service so has loosened up nicely.
The sweet spot for proper running seems to be from about 2.7 through to 4 with nothing really to be gained from going higher. I suspect that the cam profiles/timing and the sheer size never mind the layout of the combustion chambers probably dictates that it doesn't pull as cleanly from idle as some engines though it does sound like it is barely turning over even at 3K.
Blipping the throttle on the downshifts is one of the great pleasures of driving it as well as being essential on all sorts of levels so lots of gear changes are a good thing!
