Richard Hammond, one of three BBC Top Gear hosts, and our personal favorite, is in the dunes of Abu Dhabi to drive a new 6×6 off-roader from Mercedes Benz–the G63 AMG 6×6. Although originally developed for the Australian military, it’s now available to the every-day average guy. That is as long as that guy has about $500,000 to plink down.

As we see Hammond driving the wonderful 6×6 beast on the highway in the very beginning of the video above (a clip taken from Series 21, Episode 4 of the show), he makes a comparison between one of Great Britain’s most beloved 4x4s. The Land Rover can wade through half a meter of water, but the AMG has the ability to go through twice that depth without a hiccup.

Seeing as how the countryside is a massive desert and water is almost non-existent, he improvises to test the 6×6 by taking it to a water park resort and driving the vehicle through one of its pools. The MBZ appears to have no trouble cruising through a meter of water, so then he decides to give it a try in the sand, something Abu Dhabi has plenty of.

Heading into the “Empty Quarter” as they call it, which is claimed to be the largest sand desert in the world, encompassing some 250,000 square miles, where temperatures can go as high as 120-degrees and the dunes are higher than 800-feet, Hammond proceeds to take us and the 6×6 on an exciting romp through the desert to show off its incredible off-road capabilities.

Among those off-road features native to the MBZ G63 AMG 6×6 are a 30-40-30 torque split across the three axles, and a beefed-up suspension with Ohlins shock absorbers, and stronger springs adapted from the military version of the vehicle. It also has five locking differentials, and massive off-road tires, so traction in the sand should be no trouble, especially with the on-board tire inflation system that can re-inflate the tires from aired down for sand back to highway pressures in less than a minute. The direct-injected, 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 under the hood makes 544 hp and generates 560 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

There is no doubt Hammond is having a good time, and who wouldn’t with all that power and traction at your fingertips. So sit back, relax, and watch the adventure through the Empty Quarter as Hammond does his best to really wring out the Mercedes Benz G63 AMG 6×6. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end, though, or you’ll miss some very special surprises that Hammond finds on his way back to town.