From my experience, I like the grass pad better, I tried the pee pads and lola just ignored them all the time.
when i first got the grass pad she used to use it as a bed
but eventually she understood that it was made for her to pee on it. ( it takes times just like any other method)
the only bad side is the cleaning thing, it takes time to clean it but besides that I just love the grass pad.
About the texture, i don't think it helps the dog know better the difference between the grass and the carpet. Lola is going to be 2 and she still WILL pee on a carpet because she feels it's grass
