In GT5 the wheel doesn't offer a substantially different feel compared to the Logitech G27, but the ability to modify the wheel's configuration on the wheel itself made it much easier to live with.
This configuration gives it all wheel drive and also allows the ECU to either send power to or retrieve power from (in the form of regeneration) either motor to recharge the on-board battery pack -- which can also be juiced up by plugging into the wall.