It's actually fun...
Well not just that but the mainline Forza games always have a more 'serious' vibe to them, Horizon? Less so, you just drive across an open world where you like, picking challenges as you feel like it; generally it's the kind of racing game that manages to hit upon a decent middle-ground despite still not being the best by any stretch of the imagination.
In any case though, I kind of liked the original.