> The bike with the torque sensor behaves a lot more like what you're used to from riding a conventional bike
I agree, but would like to point out that sometimes this might not be what you want. I had a bike with a front motor and a cadence sensor that I used for my commute for a few years, and was very happy with the motor just pulling me along while I lazily pushed the pedals with ~zero torque, barely enough to let the bike know I'm there. Basically like pressing a throttle. If all you want is to get from A to B comfortably, I've found this to be superior to a torque sensor, and it was also dirt cheap.
With a torque sensor you can just raise the assist level and drop your gear to get the same effect, no? Seems like a torque sensor would be the best of both worlds.