If you are having a hard time driving offroad or on slick roads, simply lift off the gas when in doubt. Especially when learning Valley and Lagoon, lifting off in these situations allows more immediate control without costing you too much momentum, but don't be afraid to brake if things get hairy. It's also important to note that your turning radius becomes smaller as you go slower when you are drifting, driving offroad, or driving on slick roads. And don't be afraid to be twitchy, even if you are using analog steering.
Trial and error has always been a defining aspect of TrackMania. Realism isn't TrackMania's strong suit because Nadeo doesn't want it to be. Personally, I am fine with that. But I would agree that the handling model for the new environments introduced in TM2 have a lot of subtleties that make the learning experience pretty frustrating, thus hurting the game's "pick up and play" reputation. But it's arguably more fulfilling to play when you finally figure out how everything works because of how difficult it is to learn. The way I see it, play TrackMania United if you are looking for a more casual experience, or play TM2 if you are looking for a more hardcore experience. But take note that just because United is easier for casual players to learn, that doesn't make it any less relevant to hardcore players.
