Anyone cross-shop a Bentley Continental with a Panamera or switched from one to the other? Any comparisons or personal feedback on it?

 

Not me. I'm only 76 years old, so I'm too young for a Bentley. I bought a Panamera to tide me over while my 2021 Cayman is being built. The Panamera is such a great car, especially in sport mode, that I think I'll keep them both, the Cayman for when I want to frighten one other person and the Panamera for when I want to frighten three.

 

LOL! The continental is actually a somewhat sporty ride. Obviously different price points, but they get a lot cheaper 1 year used.

 

That's what Queen Elizabeth says. Of course, at 94 years old, she's just now old enough to switch from a RR to a Bentley.

 

Lol! The Bentley is one of the finalists on R&T's 2021 Performance Car of the Year btw

https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews...cebook&slide=7

Bentley Continental GT V8A Bentley might seem out of place among this group. But the new Continental is sports-car fun in a plush grand-touring package, so we were curious to see how it did in this year's competition. With Porsche Panamera underpinnings and a 542-horsepower twin-turbo V-8, it's hard not to like.

 

I would love to make the switch, but I find the Bentley's are very expensive right now. I'm talking about the newer Continental which is more sporty and based on the Panamera, not the older one which was based on the Audi A8. The newer ones are available 2020 model year onwards so will likely be a couple of years before they depreciate to a level where you can buy it without losing your shirt in depreciation.

 

Yes, agreed. The best price point for them is 2-3 years used at 50% of MSRP.

 

This is something I've considered as well. I would like to get a 4 year old 2020 V8, MSRP should be at 45%.

 

I did mildly but the reliability of the Bentley is far inferior to the Pan. The Cont is so much more luxirious which I liked, esp the interior.

 

Yup, plenty of 2017's right now at ~$120k (MSRP = $250k). The new 2020+ ones are soo much nicer though.

 

The 2020 Bentley Conti's are based on the same MSB platform as the 971. No doubt the cost of servicing will be high, so I'd look for a reputable shop, like Palm Beach Garage, to limit costs somewhat rather than having the dealership take me for a ride. I don't want something over 40k miles to get at least 40k miles out of the air suspension before having to replace those; hopefully I can find one with a new set of tires as well.

 

I wonder if you could service it at the Porsche dealer. I know Lamborghini Huracans can be serviced by Audi dealers and usually the Audi dealer has lower prices for the service.

 

The nearest Porsche dealership to me is a luxury motor group that includes Bentley, thus the dealership "tax" likely applies. So Stealth, you're suggesting a Lambo is cheaper to service than a Bentley, maybe I'll get one of those Uruses instead (need 4 seats), gently used of course.

 

Panamera is usable, firm and sporty. GT is a gentlemans dreamcar, less space, otherwise sporty and comfy. GT feels a little heavyer, as it also is. +250kg / 551 lms.
built on the same plattform

 

Cross shopped both (and a GTC4, Urus etc...), my 4 cents...

Conti GT -> Old man's car, veryyyy nice inside, but the 2+2 is a "bit" far stretched... if you have legs of any length up front, passgengers shouldn't have any. Very bad use of space, a GTC4 has waay more room, it (the conti)'s close to a 911.
The gTC4 is fancy and rare but design is still an acquired taste and running costs are OTT (for me) as is reliability, taxes here also...
The Urus feels like a (very fast) golf on steroids and stilts.... Nothing really special if you manage to see beyond the badge.
VW group is running the (catastrophic) path GM followed in the 60s of brand "engineering"-

Servicing costs in the Bentley are already very high for what it is.
So yeah the conti is cool, but if you have no children a nicely spec'd 911 turbo S is similar money (or a used 720s) and (much more) fun.
And...depending on where you live, people will actively try to damage your car if it's a Bentley or a Rolls Royce, whereas a Porsche, Ferrari or McLaren will have people care.