I think Jeff nails this one; crash mode was a great piece to the larger puzzle that was Burnout.
Some of the fun came from the juxtaposition of the other modes where you were actively trying to avoid crashing, and the crash mode being the complete opposite. It was really refreshing after an intense race to let off some steam crashing through a junction.
Removed from a larger racing context, and seemingly stripped of any flair this just seems a bit dull.
mattbosten's comments