Bentley Continental vs Porsche Panamera: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Porsche Panamera burns about $3,050 of fuel annually against $4,000 for the Bentley Continental. That $950 yearly gap compounds to roughly $4,750 over five years and $7,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Porsche Panamera leads in both cycles — 23 mpg city and 29 mpg highway against 17 and 26 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Bentley Continental is recorded with 4 distinct engine configurations (SIDI; PHEV, SIDI, SIDI & PFI), the Porsche Panamera with 4 (SIDI, SIDI; PHEV, 2.9). Across 32 recorded Bentley Continental configurations and 139 for the Porsche Panamera, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Bentley Continental is offered with All-Wheel Drive, the Porsche Panamera with All-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Subcompact Cars and Large Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Bentley Continental emits 161 g/mile of CO2 versus 185 g/mile for the Porsche Panamera. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.