2014 mercedes-benz G63 AMG 6X6

In the Middle East, only tourists ride on camels. Nowadays, oil-rich Arabian natives are more focused on jets and cars. Or, more accurately, Gulfstreams and huge SUVs. The garages of cashed-up kingpins house entire car collections, especially in the absurdly wealthy United Arab Emirates. But how can a sheik stand apart from his neighbors when every desert McPalace is overcrowded with Benz G-models, Toyota Land Cruisers, and Porsche Cayennes?

Some do so by purchasing the ultimate off-road vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog. The Unimog, however, is a heavy-duty truck lacking any creature comfort. It’s more difficult to handle than Kurt Busch after a bender, and a nightmare to park anywhere but in a strip mine.

So to solve this platinum-plated problem, AMG has come up with something a little special. After rummaging through its closet in Affalterbach, Germany, the company found the blueprints for a kind of baby Unimog, or a Geländewagen with the ­Unimog’s off-road capability. It’s a vehicle that AMG originally developed for the ­Australian army, with three axles and five locking differentials, because Australia can be that kind of place. The Aussies ordered 2000 units, then someone at AMG headquarters in ­Affalterbach said, “Hey, let’s drop our new V-8 in it.” The intent was clearly to create the planet’s most extreme off-roader with S-class-interior comfort.