BMW India has discreetly added a new variant to the 7 Series line-up. The flagship saloon now gets a smaller petrol engine in the 740Li trim and is priced at Rs 1.26 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). The 7 Series portfolio now includes two petrol and one diesel engine in India.
Powering the 740Li is a 3.0-litre twin turbo straight-six petrol engine that belts out 322bhp of power and 450Nm of torque. Sending power to the rear wheels is the eight-speed Steptronic dual-clutch automatic transmission. The 740Li can sprint 0-100kmph in around 5.6 seconds claims the manufacturer, which is only 0.9 seconds slower than the 750Li, and will go all the way to electronically limited top speed of 250kmph. While at it, the Luxo-barge can also return a fuel economy of 12.5kmpl.
Available in only the Design Pure Excellence (DPE) trim, the 740Li gets little cosmetic changes like the chrome treatment on the signature kidney grille, inserts on the rear bumpers and chrome-finished exhaust tips. BMW’s laser light LED headlamps with cornering, adaptive and auto-high beam function comes as standard. On the inside, the 740Li is undoubtedly filled to the brim with comfort and safety features the manufacturer has to offer.
The only petrol variant previously available in the 750Li guise was taking the CBU route to India. But the 740Li will be locally assembled at the Bavarian manufacturer’s Chennai plant along with its diesel brethren. This makes it an affordable proposition over the 750Li in the petrol saloon segment as it faces competition from the arch-rival – Mercedes-Benz S-Class S 400.