Object 263 struggles

Any tips for making this one work? I'm a bad player, especially compared to this sub's apparent averages (1078 recent WN8) but i'm really extremely extremely bad with Obj 263, the way i'm not with say, Jagdtiger. It seems like a vehicle full of contradictions, and i was looking forward to it after finally completing the horrible SU 101 grind which i also hated, but this is more of the same or worse. Here are my points:

1) It's still stock – i don't expect any stock tank to be remotely good and i would appreciate not reducing this to "why ever complain about a stock tank", but Obj 263 seems like less bad than many other stock tanks – useable gun, alright engine, its armour is same stock or upgraded. However, i am not sure what to go first. I finally grinded the XP for the engine, and i am not sure what to go for first, so i ask here before i commit to it.

2)It wants to be close range because of its guns and armour, but it seems really bad at brawling due to being a turretless TD that turns as fast as a beached whale, with its armour overwhelmingly being at the front. Almost any hit to a side also rips a critical module. Its lower plate is complete cheese, and while the hulldown is strong, the strongest armour illogically isn't the casemate but the upper plate, making the armour of this tank, its main selling point, difficult to use for me. There's even a significant weakspot on the casemate that some people make use of. Even so, it's the only thing that i somewhat manage to use, unfortunately blocking damage counts for very little.

3)The guns. The stock gun is not good for a tier 9 TD, no doubt, but is the "upgrade" really much of an upgrade, especially if you are bad like me? How do you use 300 APCR on this thing that can't possibly flank anyone with its turning speed, or snipe with its awful accuracy for a TD? One of few rare recent games where i did well was when i was able to farm an E100's turret – with the "upgraded" gun, that wouldn't have been an option. 340 HEAT really carries what little i managed to do in this thing i feel like. I hear the upgraded gun has a better shell velocity, but how do you play with it? I wonder if i should just upgrade the engine first as it's a strict upgrade. Should i even get the tracks first? It's bit of a troll question but the turning speed is just that horrible.

4)Is Bobject more of the same?

5)if anyone read this far – with Jagdtiger, i struggled horribly at first as well, till i found the right level of aggression i need to play with, which improved my results in it massively. But the Jagdtiger has its legendary gun and with my loadout 2440 hitpoints. Its gun is just so ridiculously better than Object's, i can play it like a pseudo heavy because despite its sluggishness it turns considerably faster, i can snipe, and its superstructure even bounces a random shot. I don't see what Object has that can make up for this.