Anyone else struggle with the E50?

I don't mean a fully upgraded one.

I just got the E50 after loving the panther 2, and holy crap this thing is quite possibly the most useless tank I've ever driven before you can get the tracks.

The fact the best gun you can mount before you get the tracks has 198mm of pen, and a measly 135 average damage is just mental at tier 9, most of the time it bounces, It even bounced on the lower plate of an AMX 30 last game, and when you do pen only 135 damage? On a tier 9 tank? It's completely trash with this gun.

Everyone knows you can barely dent them so they'll pop out, happily take 100 damage to deal 300, or if your trying to snipe as I've been trying to, good luck because if by some miracle you hit a weakspot at range then you do almost no damage and they tuck back into cover.

I'm praying as soon as I get the tracks and can put the 88 on it gets better, but holy hell this tank is possibly the worst stock grind I've experienced so far