Rent BMW 740 2023 in Dubai

We run two versions of BMW's current 7 Series on this fleet, the 735 and the BMW 740 2023, and the gap between the two badges is real horsepower, not marketing. The 735 uses the same 3.0-litre turbo inline-six tuned to 286 hp; the 740 gets the identical block pushed to 375 hp and 520 Nm, a jump of almost 90 hp that you feel every time you press the accelerator rather than read about it later. Both cars share the same body, the same 3,215 mm wheelbase and the same eight-speed automatic, so choosing between them really is a question of how much urgency you want from the smaller-badged car. We deliver this one in black, usually within one to two hours of booking, and it's built for someone who wants the six-cylinder 7 Series with nothing held back.

The step up from the 735, and what it feels like

Numbers explain the difference better than badges do. The 735 needs 6.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h; the 740 does it in 5.4, and that 1.3-second gap is the difference between merging into a Sheikh Zayed Road gap and creating one. Both engines are the same 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt mild-hybrid assist and an eight-speed Steptronic automatic sending power to the rear wheels only, so nothing about how the car shifts or handles changes between them. What changes is how hard the engine works at the speeds you actually use. The 740's 375 hp and 520 Nm arrive without the engine sounding stretched, which is the whole appeal of paying for the bigger badge.

This is still the six-cylinder petrol car, not the V8 760i and not the electric i7, and for someone who wants to drive rather than be chauffeured, that's the right seat to be in. Top speed sits at a limited 250 km/h, academic on any Dubai road, but the way the 740 gathers speed out of a roundabout or holds a 140 km/h cruise on the way to Abu Dhabi without any sense of strain is what the extra power actually buys. Rear-wheel drive is all a saloon this size needs on dry tarmac, and the steering carries more feedback than a car this long usually offers.

The back seat, the boot, and what a business week needs

BMW builds the whole current 7 Series, the 735 and this 740 included, on one global wheelbase of 3,215 mm. There's no shorter version to compare against and no stretched one either, whatever a dealer badge might suggest. Most of that length lands in the rear seat, so a client or colleague riding along gets proper legroom and their own climate controls, while the front seat still feels wide rather than hemmed in by the car's own size.

The boot holds 540 litres, a normal large-sedan figure rather than an SUV's. Two hard cases and a laptop bag go in without a fight, enough for a run of meetings or a single airport transfer. Try to pack for a family holiday with four sets of luggage and it runs out of room fast, and there's no folding rear seat to borrow space from. At 5,391 mm long and 1,950 mm wide, the 740 asks for a bit more care threading into a tight Marina ramp or a multi-storey bay than a mid-size sedan would, though the sensors and cameras do most of that work, and 147 mm of ground clearance is enough for a mall ramp or a speed bump without scraping.

Fuel, Salik and a black cabin in Dubai heat

A black car parked at midday in Dubai heats up faster than a white one, and this is where the 740's climate system earns its keep. Give it a minute or two after you climb back in and the cabin drops from oven to comfortable, and once you're moving the front vents keep pace even on a 45-degree afternoon. Rear passengers get their own vents too, which matters if you're not driving alone.

On fuel, the 74-litre tank and BMW's own combined figure of roughly 7 to 8 L/100km put real-world range close to the 925 to 1,057 km the brand quotes, so a week of city driving and a couple of highway runs shouldn't need more than one or two stops. Salik tolls and any RTA fines picked up during the rental are the renter's responsibility to settle, same as with any car we hand over.

Pay for the extra power if you're the one driving

Book the 740 over its smaller-badged sibling if you're the one driving and you want the engine to feel unhurried at every speed, not just adequate. The 90 hp gap over the 735 shows up most on a fast Sheikh Zayed Road overtake or a full-throttle merge, and if that's a real part of your week rather than an occasional need, it's worth the step up. If most of your rental is spent being driven, with the engine doing gentle, unhurried work in traffic, the 735 does that job for less and the rear seat is identical either way.

Look elsewhere if the trip needs three rows or a full family's luggage, since no sedan in this range, however capable the engine, solves for that. As a luxury car the 740 takes a deposit rather than the no-deposit option we offer on smaller vehicles. The allowance is 250 km a day, extra kilometres run AED 0.5 each, and you'll need to be at least 25 to take the keys.