Mercedes-Benz Is Already Road Testing the Upcoming G-Class Cabriolet

Those dreaming of a new factory Mercedes-Benz G-Class Cabriolet won’t have to wait much longer.

The German luxury marque announced that it has begun real-world testing of the upcoming G-Wagen convertible. That means that enthusiasts will no longer have to rely on restoration shops and tuners to get their hands on a drop-top version of the 4×4 in the very near future.

On Tuesday, the brand revealed that the G-Class Cabriolet will soon complete its first test miles in Austria, the same country where the standard model is hand-built at the automaker’s Graz production facility. Once complete, prototypes will be dispatched to Sweden, where they will undergo more rigorous winter testing through the country’s snowy landscapes. The testing is required to ensure the elegant off-roader can deliver the same driving experience as the hard-top version.

That was it for details, but the announcement also included a trio of photographs of the open-top G-Wagen prototype during dynamic road testing. They depict an SUV covered in a digital camouflage wrap—as is the norm for vehicle testing these days—but you can see that it retains the 4×4’s iconic boxy shape, utilizes a four-door layout, and will feature a fabric soft top.

Mercedes built a G-Class Cabriolet for much of the nameplate’s first 40 years. Still, it was discontinued in 2018 and was at no point sold in the U.S. Convertible G-Class models have also tended to feature only two doors, with only 99 examples of the four-door G650 Laundaulet leaving the factory while it was in production. That model can now sell for up to seven figures due to its rarity.

The G-Class Cabriolet is just one of two new versions of the automaker’s most beloved SUV that are on the way. A smaller G-Wagen, referred to as the “Baby G,” is expected to debut in 2027 and to start at around $100,000, which would be $50,000 less than the standard G550. The open-top version could arrive even sooner, with some outlets reporting it may launch next year. Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect something far lower than Brabus’s recent modified G-Class convertible, the 1-of-50 XL 800 Cabrio, which is expected to start around $500,000.