The scaled down version with the brown jacket does indeed look better and has a lot more character imo than the larger one, despite the larger one having more detail.
The reason it has more 'character' is because much is left to the imagination visually while the body language and accessories that stand out despite the small size tell you a lot, symbolically, about the specific personality of the character. In this case, I get a feeling of relaxed and carefree from your character with a believable but interesting style choice in clothing, who is also pragmatic and prepared (thanks to the presence of the backpack). A somewhat typical adventurer, but still very believable, thus potentially memorable.