" easier to drive than you may think"
That depends on 'what you think' :)
The Great Central Road is similar, or better than most of the other long gravel roads in this country.
It has had a lot of work done to it over the last few years and is typically wide and relatively smooth, but of course it varies depending on the weather, the traffic and when the last grader went through. Inevitably, some sections will be fine and others less so.
You will see all sorts of vehicles on it and from reports it appears to get better every year.

What YOU think of it, no one but YOU can decide.

Travel too fast and you can wreck anything. Travel at an appropriate speed and most vehicles in good condition won't have an issue.

By the way, the Great Central Road does NOT go from Laverton to Alice Springs. It actually goes from Laverton to the WA/NT border. East of the NT border it becomes the Tjukururu Road to Uluru, then the Lasseter Highway (bitumen) to Erldunda and then the Stuart Highway (bitumen) to Alice Springs.
The Tjukururu Road is usually the worst bit as it tends to be more stony. Nothing that any 2WD can't handle, but speed may need to be quite a bit lower and tyres better to reduce the chances of damage.

From 2007.

Cheers,

Peter

EDIT. You need 2 (free) permits to drive between Laverton and Uluru to transit the Aboriginal lands, 1 for the WA side and 1 for the NT side. They are available on line. With those permits you can drive through the Uluru NP without paying the fee, but you are only permitted to transit, not sight see along the way. The same applies if travelling in the opposite direction.