TalhalaTWO:
• I am primarily off-road/XC-oriented, and from my exprience I can easily recall seeing the standard T’s outnumber the rest in S1. I already said the Trailcat was popular as were others like the Ram that could also be effective. But the T had wider use and greater appeal not only because it was so easy to handle (despite the grip concerns you mentioned), but because of the extra ‘fun’ factor…the thing is just fun to drive and screw around in. Even brand new, right out of the box, it’s ready to go with that cloud 9-like suspension taking much of the ‘bite’ out of going off-road/cross country, which we all know many continue to bellyache about. It didn’t need an extraordinary amount of tuning to be able to do well. And all of that is precisely the point; it was already so easy to use and popular that an Easy Bake version was entirely unnecessary.
• I remain dubious that we’ll see a ban like what BS and TT got. First of all, it’s getting fairly late in the game. While more than a year into H4’s life, the BS/TT event was still before halftime; right now/today we’re probably just starting the 4th quarter, so rule changes per play seem unlikely at this point. But second of all (and probably the real reason we aren’t likely to see any action on this), just like the Atomic Punk, Ford Roadster, Shelby Monaco, and Peel Trident, …the WP Toyota is DLC. HW Boneshaker and TG Track-tor? Not DLC. For PG (and by extension, Microsoft) to gimp, nerf, or in any way restrict the in-game use of DLC that they’re actively trying to sell defies all logic. Toyota T100WP will never be placed on the No-no List.
• And as stated, the last bit was a hypothetical, more musing than assertion. Last night I thought about this again for a minute, and right away the Roadster and Track-tor both came to mind, too, but they saw different fates, didn’t they? (see above) “Unique” was a poor choice of word, I should have been clearer with where I was coming from…“desirable” is more accurate for the hypothetical. So, if a WP DLC twin wasn’t a total twin, but something relatively comparable cosmetically and already largely desirable among the playerbase such as the Chevy Silvrado 1500, I suspect there would be considerably less pushback. Something desirable and appropriate would quell a sizable chunk of complaints. Even with stunts and drifting, the Track-tor would’ve been a problem any way you cut it as running around in Frankenstein’s farm equipment is so far removed from what we’re trying to do here in an racing game, I don’t care what TV show it was on. Still a ridiculous call. But that notwithstanding, nobody ever said “Dang, bruh, I would totally just die if they add that Track-tor featured on some show to the next Horizon!” and I may be wrong but I can’t imagine the AP or Roadster ever had more than a handful of car wish list requests from a few super enthusiasts. Nobody was burning for those things; they’re weird and off-the-wall. But release an OP pack of highly-requested cars like that Silverado, the Delorean, etc., the Sexy OP Car Pack? You’d barely hear a peep over all the “They brought the Delorean back and it’s AWESOME!!! 
” But yes, I believe you 100% when you say you would still complain.
Rex
• I hate those players, too. In H3, if I got shoved into a tree or forced into missing a checkpoint nine times out of ten it was done by someone in a Subaru #75 or #199 WRX STI, without fail. Here, they tend to favor such attempts in the bigger, more obnoxious stuff. I get really annoyed when someone brings the Ram into B700 dirt, which should be the Land of the Little cars. Fulvias, Giulias, Beetles, should not have to contend with Ram trucks, or any other oversized behemoths.
*“Aaaaaaaaaaaugh!”*). The Welcome Pack just further exacerbated the meta misery…but that does not take away from your accurate assessment and criticism.