The graphics are great but the penalties in the harder levels are terrible. In the S class other cars hit your car and you get the penalty! Sometimes you hit a wall or touch the grass and again you are slowed up by a penalty. If this is not a turn on/off option in the full version I will spend my money on another racing game. There are times when you can hit the wall or cut a corner and nothing happens. The next lap you do the same and recieve a penalty for barrier or shorcut. It sometimes seems like the game has a mind of its own.
Another thing that is sad is the fact that some of the cars that you win cannot be used without de-tuning them. How do you race a car that is the same as the one you are using except you have to remove 30hp just to be able to race in that class?
I am a big Gran Turismo series fan and own all previous versions but I would hope by now that damage to cars would be included, but again it is not. How do you hit a wall at 160 mph without producing a scratch on the fender? I guess that doesn't matter because you will get a 4.0 second barrier penalty now if you do! I understand the idea is to make a realistic game but at what cost? I have played many excellent racing games on various platforms and most have some visible damage or handling problems should you hit a concrete barrier at 150 mph+.
Overall I would say buy the game but be prepared to spend a LOT of time on the same track trying to get past a track racing against cars that are faster than you. It seems like the game-makers spent a lot of time on looks and lost some of the fun of racing.