@PindaDoos @Vyle_Byte : ..... so, that's what ZOS did with the Imperial "race"!!

Other than the free Imperial horse, there's not much reason to play Imperial unless you really like their racial traits -- which are appropriate for some classes, not so much for others. If a player sees a character riding the pearl-gray horse, then they may likely assume that the character aboard is Imperial. But any character of any race can ride it, and an Imperial character can ride any mount in the player's "collection" of them.

Also note that an Imperial character cannot convert a weapon or piece of armor to Imperial Style if the item is part of a Set that cannot be crafted. So, the conversion ability can be useful but, on the whole, it is not especially valuable.

Be aware, too: although "Imperial" homesteads are available, there are no furniture crafting blueprints, plans, diagrams, etc. for an Imperial Style, so you cannot craft Imperial furnishings or purchase them from other crafters.* So far, the only choice has been to buy an Imperial homestead already furnished, i.e., buy with Crowns instead of Gold Pieces -- unless the player expects to furnish it with another racial style(s).

There is a Colovian Style and a Nibenay Style, respectively, of Imperial furnishings in the game. But homesteads bought with Crowns are furnished with Nibenay items. Also, a player can buy a Nibenay Style pack from the Crown Store, which seems meant to be added to an Imperial homestead's furnishings after the homestead is bought with Crowns.

Which is to say, if you enjoy spending money to buy Crowns from ZOS and enjoy expending Crowns in the game, then the Imperial race should make you as happy as a clam at high tide, while ZOS smiles all the way to the bank.

FYI: yes, I bought the original Elder Scrolls Online Gold Edition "upgrade" from ZOS, before they introduced the Crown Store, after installing the game from a CD that I bought from Gamestop. Currently I have two Imperial characters, one a Sorcerer, the other a Templar.

Enjoy!

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* I don't know yet whether ZOS has taken the time to make the effort to introduce an Imperial crafting style in the Morrowind expansion, but it doesn't seem likely to me.