How good is Sebastien Loeb?

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I think that part of the reason Loeb evokes such extreme reactions in people is that the Loeb era, or at least the second half of it, was probably one of the worst eras in the WRC, with very little competition or manufacturer participation and a declining visibility for the sport. Thankfully, those days seem to be long gone.

Not true. I'd take a look at the 2011 season. By comparison, Ogier's championships with VW had much less competition, but that doesn't really take that much away from Ogier because he destroyed everyone anyway.
It's true that in some years there were very little manufacturer participation, but it's not like there were very fast drivers sitting at home because of lack of manufacturer seats...