No. that's what I'm saying. its just that you are trying tow make your case disingenuously. One reading your post and having never played GT, will think that all the tracks are made up, the handling is piss poor and there are zero racing cars. 

Then again, I doubt you even grasp the concept of what the turismo in GT stands for. 

Its all about the cars, giving people the largest chance of driving in the game what you own in real life is a hugely enticing offer. Its what separates GT from all the others.

While the others see super cars and exotics as the appeal GT gives you what you actually own. And sales show people care more about that then some unrealistic fantasy of Ferrari.

Most car guys want to drive their Civic or Z in the game not some supercars. They want to modify and test them on Tsukuba and the Ring.

Thats the appeal, PD with GT gets it while the others don't.

Look at all the extra entertainment value the game has to offer when you use it in an unintended way, with mods, or play with glitches!
I've been driving off track too with glitches, flying high over the Nordschleife. Didn't make it any less of a great game.

Hot lapping and close races with good clean drivers or evenly matched AI is where the game excels. It's not a crashing or pushing other cars out of the way simulator. If you don't feel any joy in making the perfect pass or the perfect corner than it's not for you. Plus it's fun to drive cars you're familiar with, then put ridiculous upgrades in them and go racing on real circuits. It's all the variety that kept me going for months at a time. Karts on the Nurburgring, why not. 12 LeMans cars duking it out on the indoor kart circuit, pure fun. Rally racing in the VW bus, Nascar racing through London, intense F1 battle in the starting rain on Spa, sunset on procedurally generated rally tracks, historic race cars vs modern, reliving the old day with the original tracks, weekly new challenges, it never ends.

Gran Turismo gets that variety is the spice of life. Where most racing games have a tight focus to deliver the best experience, Gran Turismo offers a broad experience that is unmatched.

Again, i really don't care what sub-genre people put GT in, i find the series and most forms of the genre as a whole rather boring. I was just pointing out that you missed where the wiki page listed what you said it didn't, and where the idea that it was 'the' racing simulator came from. Nothing more ^^

In GT5 it feels like I'm driving a fridge and competing with other fridges. Maybe it will get better in later stages but till now I play this game after work to relax which is not what a racing sim should be about.

I never said Gran Turismo was not a great game. I said it was not really a racing simulator (let alone "the racing simulator").

True, at most it's an overtaking simulator, that's all you do in 'career' mode. Racing simulators are not for me though, race weekends with practice and qualifying rounds, multiple heats. Win in qualifying and the race is pretty boring when you already start out front. I started going straight to the race in Project cars, basically playing it as GT, overtaking everyone. Lots of cars to overtake in Project cars :)

I'm a bit worried about GT sport. The broad variety in disciplines and cars, including driving familiar cars is what makes GT great for me. GT sport sounds like it's going to have a much more narrow focus. I'll still get it for VR support, yet I rather have GT7.

I would say GT's popularity is based more on it's history than it's present. It used to be 'the' undeniable sim racer but once it achieved that prestige it didn't really keep up with the competition. GT is still a good series but it's no longer the king it used to be - this is coming from someone who used to play it on the PS1 and PS2 and completed every single race and challenge in GT5 (didn't bother with GT6) :)