Should a thesis advisor be an onlooker or somebody who struggles with the problem?
I am not sure which type of advisor is better. It probably depends on the individul or is a combination of both extremes. However, I think that, in the absence of finding all good qualities in one individual, a PhD student can build a team of mentors and coauthors. 

Your advisor is one type of mentor in your team, but you should add others. Perhaps you can also do work with a postdoc or coauthor who would provide the togetherness/teamwork you are looking for. You might also want to add a junior person with a different research specialty but a great personal connection to you who can provide some career-focused advice rather than research-focused advice. And others as needed.

Personally, my advisor was like yours. I cultivated other relationships with more junior people to supplement his more 10,000-foot approach. It was good training for being an independent researcher.