Cars don't handle as they really should. For simulation this game doesn't work well. The camera is very arcady and it doesn't help for measuring road irregularities.
Cars slip too much as if the wheels were made of soap. Cars also seem to be heavier for the same reason. It's similar to cars in GTA 4, but I think even there cars had better grip.
I'm top 10% in online rankings for group b in dirty rally 2, but here I can't even drive for a minute without having my car flying and rolling out of the road. Even with the oldest cars!
I suspect people love this game because they play it with arcade settings enabled, like the ABS and other assists.