Dirt Rally has been quite a nice surprise fro me. The telemetry-driven FFB is great with a broad range of adjust-ability and detail.
There are some glaring issues with the handling, primarily ridiculously high rolling resistance that seems to simulate the high compression of a diesel engine at work in all cars but, with a fix there and some grip reductions, this could be a great Rally title. The steering certainly could benefit from some increased adjust-ability and tuning options as the turn-in feels a bit too slow to respond in some cars where it shouldn't.
The stage design is good and very challenging with plenty of close-in bumps that can launch the car off course, and they look great. The overall lighting works quite well and the night lighting is nicely done too.
The sounds are mega-good IMO; the sound team (Mark Knight and Dave Sullivan) use a granular synthesis system to create the sounds and the results are impressive. The in-car resonance is really well done and the rev's seem to climb forever - love it! The externals are very convincing in replays with very nice backfire effects and slow fade of engine sounds as the car travels into the distance. These are very challenging effects to get right and it's done to a very high standard in Dirt Rally.
Overall, I'm very excited about the potential Dirt Rally has to become something closer to our beloved but, outdated RBR. We should be getting behind the effort of the developers and supporting them with feedback and suggestions; without it, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves in the end if it turns out to be poo. This is a rare opportunity in Sim-racing, lets not waste it.