Overall a very fun simulation, but IMO, its way too easy. I started with all the difficulty factors maxed out, with the exception of the "Braking only" line, as I'm playing on a rather small 27" screen, which makes some of the turns hard to see. The graphics in this game are amazing, not only do the cars look amazingly realistic, but so do the surroundings, and im not talking about just the track, but everything from buildings and fans, to the sky above. the handling is spot on, and tuning actually does something. they did make the cars much more customizable, almost to the point on unrealistic-ness however. for example, I currently have an AWD Shelby GT500, fully built motor, with single turbo setup, and 325 rear tires, 285 fronts. yes its cool, but i don't think you can realistically make a mustang AWD. Likewise, I also own a Ford Focus RS, Which is also AWD, with a V8 swap and twin turbos. very cool, but not very plausible. I didnt have to buy my first car until level 12, which allowed for mass cash accumulation, and almost all the cars are unlocked to begin with, so i could basically purchase a high end exotic and fully modify it, with spare cash afterward.
All in all, i would recommend this game to anyone who is interested in racing simulators, my only wish is that it would be a bit more challenging, and have more unlockables. there are suv's and truck races which is new to this version, also the gymkhana ( i think i spelled that wrong) track, which i haven't played yet.