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The Return of One of the Most Obscure Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Variant Is Really Happening

Although previously confirmed, official photos of a test mule show that Benz wasn’t messing around.

Rear side of a black SUV with white and black abstract camouflage wrap and a spare tire cover, parked at sunset.Mercedes-Benz
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By Chris Chin

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The rumors are true: Mercedes-Benz is sticking to its word and officially reviving the convertible Geländewagen. The Stuttgart automaker recently released some teaser images of its latest prototype, complete with the usual test mule camouflage.

Not like that camo was actually really hiding anything, as the G-Wagen’s boxy shape is distinctive and unmistakable. On top of the usual refrigerator-on-wheels aesthetic, one can clearly see the prototype’s soft top and missing sheet metal in the rear quarters.

Mercedes-Benz USA previously confirmed that it is working to revive the convertible Geländewagen. And now, the automaker’s teaser release show’s that they weren’t mucking about.

Reviving one of the G-Wagen’s most iconic forms

Black and white camouflaged SUV with spare tire cover driving on a curved road under a cloudy sky.
Mercedes-Benz just further legitimized the return of the G-Class Cabrio.
Mercedes-Benz

These days, a droptop Geländewagen seems a bit unconventional. But a convertible G-Wagen has always been a part of the truck’s range.

When Mercedes-Benz first launched the model, the civilian versions were available with a three- and five-door hardtop wagon body. But the three-door version also included an open-air variant.

Four classic Mercedes-Benz G-Class vehicles are arranged on a wet asphalt surface. The vehicles include a beige four-door SUV, a red two-door panel van, a red two-door convertible pickup truck with a spare tire in the bed, and a green two-door SUV. All have a boxy design with round headlights and black bumpers.
When it first launched in 1979, the civilian G-Class was available in three-door convertible form, similar to the Land Rover Series III.
Mercedes-Benz

It was a part of the original W460 G-Wagen’s lineup and was a fixture of the model’s range up until the launch of the heavily-revised W463 in 2019. Then, Mercedes-Benz ditched all but the typical five-door hardtop SUV.

But now, Mercedes-Benz is looking to bring back the million miles of headroom feature.

Not like the old cabrio

Black and white camouflaged SUV with a soft top driving on a highway with green barriers.
Although not the first cabrio, this will be the first convertible five-door G-Wagen.
Mercedes-Benz

When Mercedes-Benz still sold the drop-top G-Wagen, it could only be had in three-door form. This time around, however, as one can see from the spy photos, the convertible body will arrive on the five-door variant.

A white Mercedes-Benz popemobile with a transparent roof and two small yellow flags on the front is parked on a cobblestone surface. Five people stand in front of the vehicle, including a man in white papal robes seated in a wheelchair. The background features yellow and beige walls with an arched niche containing a bust and some greenery.
Unless you were the Pope, a convertible G-Wagen didn’t exist after 2019.
Mercedes-Benz

Which, unless you’re the Pope or come from Middle Eastern royalty paying the automaker or its ultra-lux Maybach division big for a custom-made model, is a major first for Mercedes-Benz and the Geländewagen’s history.

Of course, with most new car teasers, details remain sparse.

Mercedes-Maybach-G650-Landaulet-Gear-Patrol-2
Mercedes-Maybach reignited the interest for a G-Wagen Cabrio after creating the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Laundaulet.
Mercedes-Benz

But Mercedes-Benz promises that the new G-Class convertible will be as off-road-ready as other G-Wagens. And that’s all thanks to the automaker’s extensive and rigorous testing regiments, or the ones that have essentially defined the company’s reputation for building exquisitely over-engineered cars.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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