I'm not sure why the tightening torque is less on the new plugs, except that the old torque did seem unnecessarily high.
As for the different gap, the new plugs have a completely different geometry, so that rather makes sense. But nor can you adjust the (double) gaps on the new plugs. If they are out of spec, you just have to replace the plug.
My engine came with the new plugs. They even look expensive. It now has the "old" ones. I have not yet noticed any difference in how the engine runs.