I think Cole speaks in the same register as McQueen, and they both tend toward terse and serious statements. But as much as I like Cole (and Williams and Lipton), MC had an odd nasal way of speaking. I just saw him on Gunsmoke, and his character was a lot more animated than the laid-back Pete, but I could still hear hints of the odd MC way of speaking.
By the way, as much as I enjoyed Mod Squad when I was a kid (Lipton was like the most beautiful woman ever, and still looked great in Twin Peaks), none of them acted very well.
Maybe it was the directing, but even as a kid, something seemed kind of off whenever they were delivering dialogue. It's like they found three amateurs and gave them jobs based on their looks.
I'm not a woman much less Deanna Durbin, but the old-time glam-shot appeals to me.

I thought he was doing a Jim Morrison impression especially with the hair that seem s to have not cut since the series.

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I have read that Michael used to hang out with Steve. They were friends.

I thought the same thing. Especially in one of the Mod Squad episodes where he took a job undercover as a getaway driver.

I wouldn't say that. Back when the series was brand-new, I sensed the same thing, even his face (which aged a decade in three years) seemed to be growing more similar to McQueen's in the final season.
It ain't easy being green, or anything else, other than to be me