Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2013 Porsche Panamera VS 2013 Jaguar XF Near Scottsdale, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Porsche Panamera have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jaguar XF doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the Panamera and the XF have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all wheel drive.

The Panamera’s corrosion warranty is 4 years longer than the XF’s (10 vs. 6 years).

There are over 33 percent more Porsche dealers than there are Jaguar dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Panamera’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Panamera has a standard 190 amp alternator. The XF’s 130 amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Panamera third among large premium cars in their 2012 Initial Quality Study. The XF isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Jaguar vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche second in reliability, above the industry average. With 74 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jaguar is ranked 27th.

The Panamera has more powerful engines than the XF:

As tested in Car and Driver the Panamera Turbo is faster than the XFR:

On the EPA test cycle the Panamera S Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the XF 2.0 4 cyl. (22 city/30 hwy vs. 19 city/29 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the Panamera 4 V6 gets better fuel mileage than the XF 3.0 AWD (18 city/26 hwy vs. 16 city/25 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Panamera’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The XF doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the Panamera’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Jaguar only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the XF V6/V8.

The Panamera Hybrid/V6/S RWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the XF (21.1 vs. 18.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Panamera S4/GTS/Turbo’s standard fuel tank has 8 gallons more fuel capacity than the XF (26.4 vs. 18.4 gallons).

For better stopping power the Panamera’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XF:

The Panamera’s brakes have 8% more swept area (the area covered by the brake pads) than the XF (836 vs. 774 square inches), so the Panamera has more braking power available.

The Panamera offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The XF doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The Panamera stops much shorter than the XF:

For better traction, the Panamera has larger standard tires than the XF (F:245/50R18 & R:275/45R18 vs. 235/35R20).

The Panamera offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Jaguar doesn’t offer an active suspension on the XF.

The Panamera has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Panamera’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The XF doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Panamera is 3.8 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the XF.

The Panamera Turbo 4 handles at 1.00 G’s, while the XF pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Panamera goes through Road & Track’s slalom 5.1 MPH faster than the XFR (71.2 vs. 66.1 MPH).

The Panamera S performs Car and Driver’s emergency lane change maneuver 9.1 MPH faster than the XF (69.1 vs. 60 MPH).

The Panamera Turbo 4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.2 seconds quicker than the XF (24.4 seconds @ .81 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Panamera S is quieter than the XFR (44 vs. 46 dB).

The Panamera has .9 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom and .6 inches more rear headroom than the XF.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Panamera’s available rear seats recline. The XF’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Panamera offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The XF doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the XF, the Panamera offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Panamera’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge – which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The XF has neither an oil pressure gauge nor a temperature gauge.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Panamera to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The XF doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Panamera offers an optional rear wiper. The XF doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Both the Panamera and the XF offer available heated front seats. The Panamera also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the XF.

To help keep rear passengers entertained, the Panamera offers optional rear seat controls for the radio which can play a separate audio source. The XF doesn’t offer rear seat audio controls.

The Panamera will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. Kiplinger’s estimates that the Panamera will retain 36% to 41% of its original price after four years, while the XF only retains 32% to 33%.