@ bolded: Couldn't agree more.

But I have to say that the occasional performance dips aren't that noticeable while playing.  I have to actively look for them more often then not to notice them.  I think people make a big deal out of nothing.  The game looks absolutely gorgeous.  I even think the standard cars look just fine.  Not as Crazy good as the Premium ones, that's for sure, but they still look fine to me. 

But I do agree with the OP.  What's most important is the gameplay and how the cars behave.  And everything feels true to life to me.  Car damage or not, GT's gameplay has always been about perfecting your driving line and lap time, and this title is no different.  And finally,  the amount of content is just incredible.  The game is an awesome bang for the bucks, as they say.

I'm fine with bad graphics unless they totally ruin the experience.

Disgaea 3 looks pretty bad for a PS3 game, yet I love it more than I loved FFXIII (which looks stunning). Hell I still play Genesis and Saturn games and think they look just fine.

The problem with Gran Turismo 5 is that it did set people's expectations too high. The game looks good, just not godly-perfect looking as everyone was hoping for (the long development time only added to the hype) .

If there's anyone to point figures at, it's PD promising something they couldn't deliver on... Not gamers for feeling disappointed...

Ahh yes, that.  Apparently you get Gran Turismo being framed in terms of graphics, in the fanboy wars, when that is NOT what Gran Turismo is supposed to be about.  Gran Turismo is meant to be an epic driving game that will appeal to you if you are into driving sims, and want to FEEL like you are driving your car of choice.  The graphics are meant to support the experience, not necessarily lead it.  But, in the fanboy wars, you get, "Gran Turismo blows way X", and so on (like Forza beats Gran Turismo with graphics).  It is all about the graphics.  Even that "Better than Reality" stuff came up.  Really folks?

The question needs to be: If you are looking for a console game that would be good as a driving sim, would Gran Turismo 5 fit the bill?  Anyone here want to argue "no" to that?  I believe the question should be, whether or not someone looking for a driving sim should buy a PS3 just to play Gran Turismo 5.  THAT is the question that matters.  Maybe for some Forza 3 and a 360 would be sufficient.

Fail.

It's true that graphics aren't everything, but GT without an extreme focus on graphics is not GT... since graphics are such a huge part of the experience... hardly everything is driving mechanics in the series... the focus is excessive, I agree, but it sometimes can't be done without of... especially when your expectations from the game are so big.

In Practice Not the Reality of it currently. You See the GT5 Graphics obsesseion was Brought on By SONY and POLY themselves It wasnt started by fanboys. POLY Stuck there foots in their mouths, they put the graphics expectation on the Gamers not the other way around. In reality GT5 should be about bieng the ultimate driving Sim...but thanks thier yapping everybodies more interested in the Graphic presentation.

But the graphics are amazing too... just the standard cars and some tracks are low but that's could be fixed.

The real plot of GT, the driving phisics are spectacular spectacular.

They are (I have the game), but I'm just saying that I can relate to the reviewers/public in the graphics argument... while not personally disappointed (it's fantastic on an HDTV), I see where they're coming from - mainly because without gorgeous sunsets, shining city lights, and gloomy clouds your driving experience is hampered... I just didn't expect as much as they did, I guess...

graphics aren't everything but:

1. if they wouldn't talk about graphics we would still play gt5 with gt1 graphics...

2. for me it's a big difference if i play a game in a fantasy world or a real world. i can play final fantasy with bad graphics and i still would think "what a great game" but if i play a game like a racing game on real tracks and in real citys i will have the feeling that it's real (as it is possible on a console)

3. if polyphony wouldn't show all those trailers with "fake" graphics, the reviewers wouldn't expect those graphics. so it's their own fault. i mean, why do the show those crazy trailers? because they will say to the world: "our game looks unbelievable great". so if the try to say this to us to get higher sales, they should give us those graphics or they get bad critics for it.

4. tearing and graphic glitches like that are bad in every game. i hate it to drive along a road and see this flickering all the time. 

i could say so many more why i care about graphics in games trying to be like reality and why reviewers do...i couldn't play gt1 anymore with its graphics and in 15 years i will have the same problems with racing games from 2010. 

i didn't play gt5 till now so i have no clue about it's graphics but i understand why reviewers look at graphics and not just at perfect gameplay. man if gameplay would be all we would never need a new gt. just add ons with new tracks and cars but i dont think in 30 years most of you would say "great game i give it 98%" to gt15 with gt5 graphics.

if you would give me a game with graphics like in reality and the same game with bad graphics i would rate the first on with 100% and the other version with 90% or so because it would be more fun to play the version with perfect graphics.