Traffic management seems to be easier in 2. I'm making more or less the same kind of grid layout, the only difference being stock instead of modded assets, and the traffic jams aren't as brutal. However now there are dynamic car accidents so roads can be shut down at random until multiple services respond to it.

I like it as a foundation. It's yet to crash, the framerate is decent, there's less micromanagement of water/electricity. I don't like that the gameplay loop encourages suburb sprawl and pedestrian/bike alternatives aren't yet in the game. There's never enough low-density housing to meet demand. Parks are such a major part of the first game for me as a garden city nerd that the sequel feels empty without them. I'd wait to buy it until mod support and stability patches come online since I'll probably just end up going back to the first game after the novelty wears off.