Just for context, I've been playing GT since 1998 when the first game came out. I only played AC since 2016. I would be the first person to congratulate PD when they get physics/FFB right. But right now, it's still far off AC/ACC, and even vintage sims like LFS (and RBR if you count rallying). Even rFactor with RealFeel FFB still feels better to drive than GT, and that base game came out in 2004.
Everything you said feels backward to me. Current GT physics has too much understeer compared to AC. I can drive a car with the throttle in AC (old cars on bias ply tyres especially). I just drove the 250 GTO in GT yesterday and there's no feeling of tyre squidge, the suspension feels tied down, no body roll, 4 wheel drifting feels very unnatural. You lose the back end coming off the brakes (which IRL would transfer more weight to the rear and reduce oversteer). It's backwards and unnatural. Drive the same car in AC and everything just flows as it should.
Drifting in GT also feels unnatural. It's hard to drift anything other than CH tyres. AC meanwhile is basically a drifting game if you look at online lobbies.
I have like 2600 cars in AC atm. Yes there are loads of crappy built mods, but the real good ones and the base Kunos cars are way beyond anything in GT in terms of feel. I mean if you look at the Bugatti Chiron in GT7, it has front downforce only and zero rear downforce. This is a car that's supposed to be ultra stable at high speeds and the high speed balance is opposite what it should be. They can't even get something like that right and you want me to believe PD makes good physics/FFB?
I'm playing AC on a laptop from 2014 with Logitech G25 just so you know. I spent more money on my PS4 Pro, TV, T-GT, GT7 25th Edition and PS+ subscription. So no, if I'm elitist I would be defending GT instead. And I would never call GT arcade or simcade. It's a sim, but one with flaws (whether intentional or non intentional, is up for debate) because it's aimed at mass market.
Ironically, AC is like the second most popular car game on Steam after Forza Horizon 5, despite being an "elitist hardcore sim". Why? Because the driving physics and FFB is second to none. It's got decent graphics, and you can virtually drive anything anywhere. This is what GT could've been if PD didn't get sidetracked with WipeOut VGTs and music rally.
If I really hated Gran Turismo, I wouldn't have grinded 1 billion credits and raced in almost every FIA season since 2019. I love the quirky cars, presentation, graphics, menu music, creativity of the community with photomode/liver editor. I love the convenience of online racing and accessible physics while still maintaining some semblance of realism. But if I want to know what a car really feels like to drive, I boot up AC. I never done a single career mode or online race in AC. It's basically my test drive sandbox game. They both occupy different niches for my needs. But in terms of physics/FFB, GT is not as good as AC. At least not yet. Nothing to do with elitism, just saying it like it is. There are people in the forum who race extensively IRL and have engineering degrees who will tell you the same.
I'm not trying to convert you into an AC fan either, just sharing my POV and clearing up things for others reading this thread.
Now I go back to lurking until the next physics update in 6 months