Okay...finally got it to run...here are my quick impressions:
1) Total sim feel now..but that changes depending on level of assists you choose...if you go for the Casual assists, then its almost like playing NFS PU, but if you go for the Pro level thing...its like playing Gran Turismo...but faster!
Overall...I dunno...still not comfortable, after playing Most Wanted for so long.
2) Graphics...hmm...they're okay I guess...but since my config is not very new, I'm not able to play it at a very high level of detail. However, considering I was able to play Most Wanted on this config...I dunno...I liked the over-bloom style of MW a lot...not so much the cheap plastic look of Carbon. Environments are hot...cars not so much...
3) Damage is annoying. Not as realistic as a game like Colin McRae DiRT, but not arcadey like NFS PU either...
4) KILLER LOAD TIMES! The game feels very unoptimised...jittery when it runs, random freezes while playing, especially when in a pack of cars clustered together on the streets...