I must confess that i've never played this online. I believe ATC Quicksilver has mentioned it is great fun tho.
It's just... it's one of those games where i really don't want to meet the "community". Just look at "rate my ride"... i don't want to meet those people online.
What i like about this game is the cars and customization options... the driving in traffic... the highway races... photo mode... and ummm... that's it actually.
I would still play it, if the races wouldn't be so damn frustrating. Most of the time spent with this game was car tuning and photo mode. The actual races kept me busy for about half a day... until i couldn't be bothered anymore.
It's a great game... somehow. But its lasting appeal isn't all that great IMO.