Maybe both. As someone who doesn't have hours a day to play games, it's way fun. I've tried so many racing games that I hated because I'd have to spend hours, days, weeks getting decent at. No fun. This, OTOH, is a blast. I can pick it up, play, and enjoy it for five minutes or 20 minutes in between other things.
If you want a "realistic SIM" I guess it might not measure up to those. But if you want a fun, quality, well-done game, buy it!