- Mercedes-Benz has released images of a convertible version of its legendary G-Class off-roader in testing
We encourage Americans to purchase practical cars that won’t strain the family budget. But we love weird cars. Some of our favorites are low-volume oddities that seem built for pure joy.
Like a hyper-luxurious off-road SUV with a convertible top. Meet the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Cabriolet.
Mercedes first hinted that this was coming back in September. A shadowy teaser photo showed the ultra-luxury G-Wagon with a Jeep Wrangler-like removable soft-top.
Now, the company says, it “is sending prototypes into the world for rigorous testing” after “an immensely positive response to the first teaser.”
There’s a bit of gamesmanship in that announcement. We’re certain Mercedes would have sent the model into testing regardless of how the internet reacted to a photo of it.
But the company says winter testing will begin soon, which helps us put together a timeline. That could mean the model is about a year out from public sale, as engineers typically have a lot of fine-tuning to do on a convertible once it’s in the proving stages.
Mercedes has built an open-top G-Wagon before, but that was many years ago.
The ragtop G is just one of several additions to the G-Class family. Last year, Mercedes launched an electric version capable of spinning in place. It also plans a smaller, compact “baby G-wagon” soon.
