Forget the Hummer, if you want to dominate both on and off-road, here are two new options to whet your bundu bashing appetite - The Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4 and Ariel Nomad.

Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4

• More city faring than off-road in recent years, Merc's G-Wagon has lost some of its grit of late. The new G500 4x4 is a welcome arrival then, leaving no room for interpretation as to where it belongs.

• The rugged looking G-Class has not changed much in terms of design over the past few decades, and the G500 4x4 is no different. The most notable change however, is its ride height, courtesy of four rather imposing 22" rims and 325/55 off-road tyres. As a result, the G500 4x4 has a 45 cm tall ground clearance, good enough for tackling some tough terrain.

• Not just big, the G500 packs a rather impressive engine as well. In this case a 4-litre bi-turbocharged V8 that yields 310 kW of unbridled power. Other enhancements include carbon fibre body parts to make the G500 a tad lighter and far stronger than Merc's previous 4x4 concepts. It also features a newly designed chassis with dual spring/damper struts, as well as self-adjusting damping.

• Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz says production of the G500 4x4 will be dependent on consumer reaction. We say go for it!

Ariel Nomad

• From the same British manufacturer that brought us the Atom, comes the new off-road racing Nomad.

• Much like its racetrack ready forebear, the Nomad is designed to offer uncompromised speed and handling, all while the scenery rushes past at 200km/h. That top speed is as a result of the Nomad's lightweight construction (670 kg), featuring very little else except a streamlined roll cage and four off-road tyres.

• Powering this pocket rocket is a 4-cylinder i-VTEC engine courtesy of Honda, which cranks out 175 kW. As a result the Nomad can hit 100 km/h from a standstill in only 3.4 seconds.

• All that speed comes at a hefty price though, with the Nomad set to retail for £27 500 (R320 000) in the UK.