Icon most certainly is not rough. It has the "Mack Rattle" associated with coasters like Helix and Blue Fire but it honestly isn't rough.
I have ridden Icon around 50 times now in every single seat including numerous rides at the back and it is insanely re-rideable. The Intamin trains on Taron vibrate with much more ferocity than any Mack Multilaunch and that coaster is held up as one of the best out there. After numerous rides on Taron it started to give me a headache (despite being my favourite coaster). I have never had this on Icon.
It is a marmite coaster at the moment with some enthusiasts calling it the best in the UK and others saying they don't rate it at all. I think personally that it is up there with the best. It's well paced, looks stunning, has moments of unexpected force (even more forceful than Helix) and more importantly it is FUN which a lot of coasters lack. Also, as with all the coasters at Pleasure Beach it is STUNNING to ride at night. It takes on a completely new atmosphere and presence. I was lucky enough to ride it just before 10pm and it was immensely enjoyable.
The problem with Icon is that people have either 1) judged it before they have ridden it and have therefore made their mind up before even stepping on the park or 2) ridden it with such high expectations that anything less than perfect means it is a "disappointing coaster" etc. If people regarded it as a fun family-friendly coaster with sections of awesome intensity and good pacing rather than a Helix/Taron crossover then they might enjoy and appreciate it more. It was never going to be the best coaster in the world but it's certainly the best in the UK (with exception from maybe Nemesis).