Driving Comparison of the three "cheap" Airs (Pure, Touring and Grand Touring)

In standard, the Pure’s regen is significantly more noticeable than the standard regen in the 22 Touring and GT. Setting them to high regen made them about equivalent to the Pure. The Pure doesn’t have a high regen setting. Just low and standard. As I said above, this surprised me, and my sample size is small (two), but it wasn’t a one off thing. I have driven all three cars a significant amount of time and it was consistent and not related to charge level.

TLDR - “high” in the 2022 T and GT in the loaner fleet at my service center equaled “standard” in my Pure. Why? Don’t know. Is it supposed to be that way? Don’t know. But I’ll take an oath on a book of your choice that it was. ;)
What drive mode were you in because that affects regen on the GT and Touring, standard regen is higher in smooth and is lower in swift and sprint. I am not sure what happens with the Pure.
 
In standard, the Pure’s regen is significantly more noticeable than the standard regen in the 22 Touring and GT. Setting them to high regen made them about equivalent to the Pure. The Pure doesn’t have a high regen setting. Just low and standard. As I said above, this surprised me, and my sample size is small (two), but it wasn’t a one off thing. I have driven all three cars a significant amount of time and it was consistent and not related to charge level.

TLDR - “high” in the 2022 T and GT in the loaner fleet at my service center equaled “standard” in my Pure. Why? Don’t know. Is it supposed to be that way? Don’t know. But I’ll take an oath on a book of your choice that it was. ;)
Interesting!
 
Appreciate this discussion on the Pure and always Blue Lectroid's discussion of all the improvements for the 2025's and his summary:
"In sum, my rank forgetting about cost is GT, Pure, Touring. Factoring in cost it would be Pure, GT, Touring."

I am OK with the faint but noticeable "it's taking-off motor whine" while enjoying the full-featured 2022 GT ... especially purchased pre-owned for less than a Pure - my personal sweet spot in cost / performance+features.
 
Less weight over the front wheels make a big difference.

I had a Cadillac ATS 4cyl. RWD drive loaner, and it felt like a go cart. I was really looking forward to the ATS-V. Then I received a V6 ATS AWD loaner, and the car felt so much different with the extra weight of AWD and 2 cylinders over the front wheels. The handling was much less fun.

I had a two seat stroller. One seat where the kid would normally sit, and the second seat over the front wheels. Putting the kid's weight forward, over the wheels, made the stroller MUCH more difficult to steer. Much less willing to change direction.

I think this is a big reason the 911 became so popular. It felt great steering it around turns.

I wanted the speed, no doubt; but I'm glad I haven't driven a Pure. Comparison is the thief of joy.
 
I have driven all three pretty extensively and all of them 2025’s. My dad has a 2025 Touring, I have a 2025 GT and I originally had a 2025 Pure on order before switching to the GT. For full disclosure, I have driven the Pure the least of the three…a total of just an hour or so over three test drives. I have 2000 miles on my GT and have driven a Touring several hundred miles.

I also drove a 2023 Touring for a test drive and had a 2022 GT loaner for 600 miles.

First off, for the OP, you cannot compare the 2025 cars to what came before. There have been a lot of meaningful changes to the cars…including the front motor mounts that significantly reduced the motor whine from earlier years. They are NOT as quiet as the Pure, BUT they are MUCH quieter than the earlier cars.

For efficiency, yes, the Pure is significantly more efficient than either the Touring or the GT. BUT, the 2025’s are also much more efficient than the earlier versions of the cars, so the difference you’ve experienced between the cars you drove is less when comparing all 2025’s. By way of example, based on EPA, the 2025 Pure is roughly 17% more efficient than the GT. That “feels” about right. I observed and almost 20% increase in efficiency between the 2022 GT and my 2025…

I absolutely loved the feel of the front end of the Pure…it does feel much more like a driver’s car of old and this was why I originally placed an order for the Pure. So why did I end up buying the GT?

The power of the GT makes for an incredible overall driving experience and when you push the car hard it really comes alive. The Pure is not underpowered at all, but it also lacks a level of real oomph the way the GT does. The reality in my driving (and this is where perhaps I am different than the OP), is that additional power is enjoyable to me more often than the nominally better steering feel. When the GT and the Pure are in Sprint mode, their handling is closer than in Smooth mode (at least IME).

But the biggest issue for me with the Pure was the reduced regenerative braking. I just did not like the one pedal driving anywhere near as much as on either the Touring or GT. So this coupled with the extra go-pedal fun, AND the excess range all added up to me choosing the GT.

In sum, my rank forgetting about cost is GT, Pure, Touring. Factoring in cost it would be Pure, GT, Touring.

Your mileage WILL vary and I love that we have all three models to choose from as IMHO, any Air is easily the best driving sedan on the road at present…
Which model year were the front mounts updated to reduce noise ?
 
Fantastic review overall. Only thing I'd like to point out as a GT owner is that I practically never do formal launches (ie, launch mode). At the light, I use whatever power is required to be away from everyone else as they're pulling off the line, I prefer not to have cars around me whenever possible, it's just less work and more relaxing.

Where the GT shines is 60-110mph. At that point, you're dealing with enough wind resistance (especially over 80mph) that the extra power makes a difference that you can feel.
 
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