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Continental PureContact looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental PureContact vs Michelin CrossClimate — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 2 road tests and 29 + 152 owner reviews. How we score

CrossClimate leads, 74–71 Narrow edge

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Continental PureContact
Tire AContinental

PureContact

All-Season Premium Touring tires

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 71 · 29 reviews

Michelin CrossClimate
Tire BMichelin

CrossClimate

All Season

± 6

Tests 75 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 152 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 14 in 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 71

    Dry

    CrossClimate +5
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 70 (est.)78
    Reviews found online7374

    PureContact: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 71

    CrossClimate: 60% × 77.8 + 40% × 74 = 76

    No road tests of dry for PureContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 77

    Wet

    PureContact +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 75 (est.)75
    Reviews found online7978

    PureContact: 60% × 75.2 (est.) + 40% × 78.7 = 77

    CrossClimate: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 78 = 76

    No road tests of wet for PureContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    CrossClimate +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6166

    PureContact: 60% × 67.1 (est.) + 40% × 61 = 65

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 65.6 = 69

    No road tests of snow for PureContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 69

    Comfort

    CrossClimate +5
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6976

    PureContact: 40% × 69.1 (est.) + 60% × 69.1 = 69

    CrossClimate: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 76.4 = 74

    No road tests of comfort for PureContact or CrossClimate. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Noise

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)71
    Reviews found online72≈ 67 (est.)

    PureContact: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.1 = 69

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69

    No road tests of noise for PureContact. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for CrossClimate. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    CrossClimate +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)74
    Reviews found online6975

    PureContact: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 68.5 = 68

    CrossClimate: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 74.8 = 74

    No road tests of treadwear for PureContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Reviews found online–73
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePureContactCrossClimate
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–76
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental PureContactMichelin CrossClimate
Relative Score 71 74
Dry 71 76
Wet 77 76
Snow 65 69
Comfort 69 74
Noise 69 69
Treadwear 68 74
Handling (owners) – 73
Efficiency – 76

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

PureContact

± 6

CrossClimate

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A PureContact

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality
  • Great overall performance relative to price

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can lead to reduced cornering confidence or understeer on certain light vehicles
  • Some users perceive the sidewalls as thin and vulnerable to minor punctures
  • Occasional reports of higher-than-expected road noise on specific vehicle applications
All owner themes in the PureContact review

Tire B CrossClimate

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Strong wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance
  • Reliable traction in light snow and cold conditions

Cons

  • Tendency to pick up and retain small stones in the tread pattern
  • Noticeable drop in performance as tread depth decreases
  • Potential for reduced fuel economy compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the CrossClimate review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental PureContact B · Michelin CrossClimate
CategoryAll-Season Premium Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Treadwear warranty70,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental PureContact

Michelin CrossClimate

Narrow edge: Michelin CrossClimate — better treadwear, dry and comfort. Where the Continental PureContact is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin CrossClimate scores 74 vs 68 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate scores 76 vs 71 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin CrossClimate scores 74 vs 69 on comfort.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin CrossClimate scores 69 vs 65 on snow.

Tire A · Continental PureContact
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Tire B · Michelin CrossClimate
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PureContact or CrossClimate?

Which is better in the wet, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 76 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Michelin CrossClimate, 76 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Michelin CrossClimate, 69 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 69 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Michelin CrossClimate, 74 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, PureContact or CrossClimate?

Michelin CrossClimate, 74 vs 68 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology