I now prefer the Driving in Shift 2

[FLIGHT50]

After that horriffic Top Gear Lotus Challenge in GT5, I've learned that Lotuses are not meant to be a fun drive. Compared to that, even the Exige Invitational challenge in Shift 2 was a pleasant stroll in the park.

You can say that again. Now the Euroa or what ever its called is pretty descent to drive in GT5. Other than that all Lotus's handle very very poorly in every game I played them in. Are they this way in real life and game developers actually represent them correctly?

Other that that I agree that a Lotus isn't meant to be fun to drive in a game.

To be honest I still prefer driving in GT5, but I definately prefer racing in S2U.

It seems that no matter what class of car you pick, the races in S2U are always exciting. The field looks great and lively with all the different customisation options and liveries (I have yet to see the same livery twice in a race).
Crashes and damage are amazing and the whole look, feel and sound is gritty and fun.

However, the feeling of wheight in a car, the link between the tires and the steering wheel and I'd dare say the general driving physics of the car are done better in GT5. This is of course nothing new, and EA/SMS even said they didn't go for that kind of realism, but if we're talking about driving (taking an M3 to the nurburgring just for a few laps) than I prefer GT5.
Just to be clear, taking an M3 around the ring is probably the only thing I would load GT5 for now. Since I got it S2U is in my PS3 almost all the time.

On another note: I also love the focus on fun in S2U. Progres in series is automatically saved (Maybe even for multiple series) you can restart a race even if it's the second race in a series without having to do the whole series again, you can set the difficulty during your career to make annoying events less annoying (I hate the lotus too). These are all things the elitists would never want implemented in GT5, but it all makes for a much nicer gaming experience.

I've been a GT fan since GT1, but I get more excited about where the Shift series might be going at this time. If they get the physics right, GT is history for me.

I agree with everything you stated. Its obvious that S2u is tons more fun. Hands down it beats GT5 when its comes to racing. I think the graphics overall are better than GT5. And yes if the physics become a tad bit more manageable Gt5 will be just a memory. Looks like with the current patch and the next patch to come will satisfy alot more people. I said these several weeks ago but once they smooth out the physics, 75% of the people that ditched this game, will be repurchasing it. Being impatient spoiled it for them. I am not going anywhere. Shift 2 is my answer for racing.