LFS lacks glitter. It doesn't put on the same kind of show as the big name motorsports games, no train of flashy splash screens, intro videos, twinkly menus, all of it giving more priority to marketing than development. Many expect a show and want to be fooled into believing they drove an exact replica of a Porsche around an exact replica of Donington and beat the fastest times of the worlds best drivers through their own skill while the game secretly smooths out the bumps, gives them a little more grip when they pass the point of no return, maybe even presses the brakes for them.
Showed LFS to a few folks and heard the same comments 'but there not real cars.... not real tracks... it doesn't look nice...'. Screw 'em, it's the best sim I've tried by far, all piled up at the first bend on Monza is the best place for most of them. Just my humble opinion as a noob to LFS.