GT7's 'rally' isn't really tradition rallying many know of. It's more akin to that of rallycross than anything. While rallycross can be fun, I do miss the rally stages of GT5. I wish they would've expanded on that rather than getting rid of it.
I think there is room for both traditional rally and rallycross in GT, problem is PD have never really dedicated enough time to getting dirt physics correct. Since they're not doing a good job simulating dirt physics, I can see why others would prefer if it was removed.