Using Google Maps, and comparing Tioga Pass route with heading south through Bakersfield and Tehachapi, it is 100 miles farther via Tehachapi, but only an hour longer.
I find that the times through the mountains take longer than Google predicts, but you can pretty much move along at the speed limit or a little better going the other way. So... if you are going at night, you might appreciate the easier driving taking the southern route.
