Mercedes shows how the new G-Class Cabriolet folds its roof

## The soft top folds behind the rear seats

The official Mercedes-Benz G-Class social-media account has released a video showing a camouflaged prototype lowering its soft top behind the rear seats. The roof opens above both the front and rear occupants, unlike the Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, which opened only the rear section of the cabin.

The video shows the roof folding into several layers and forming a tall stack above the luggage compartment. Once lowered, it appears to rise to roughly the height of the upper edge of the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate. That could restrict rearward visibility and reduce usable luggage space. Mercedes has yet to disclose how long the roof takes to open, the maximum speed at which it can be operated or the volume of the luggage compartment.

A fixed frame remains visible around the roof opening. Mercedes has not described its precise construction or materials. It is likely to carry the roof mechanism, contribute to the body structure and help protect occupants in a rollover, but the manufacturer has not officially confirmed any of those functions.

The “glass rear window” mentioned in an earlier version of the story was not a confirmed fact either. A rear window is visible in the video, but the footage does not provide enough information to identify its material with certainty.

## The new cabriolet uses a five-door body

The prototype has four side doors and a tailgate, so in conventional British body-style terminology it is a five-door G-Class Cabriolet. Some English-language publications describe it as a “four-door”, but that counts only the passenger doors.

The G-Class range included open-top variants from its launch in 1979. The previous factory-built G-Class Cabriolet used a short-wheelbase body with two side doors, and production of the final short-wheelbase G 500 Cabriolet ended in 2013.

The new car is therefore fundamentally different from its predecessor. Mercedes is retaining the current long-wheelbase body, both rows of seats and four side doors. That improves practicality, but makes removing the roof and engineering the necessary structural reinforcement considerably more complex.

## A ladder frame does not solve every stiffness problem

The current G-Class uses a ladder-frame chassis, low-range gearing and three differential locks. The frame carries the primary structural loads and sets the G-Class apart from most luxury SUVs, but removing the metal roof still affects the torsional stiffness of the body mounted on it.

Engineers will have to compensate for the missing roof, most likely by reinforcing the sills, floor, windscreen surround and rear body structure. Mercedes has not said which components it is modifying or how much weight the reinforcements will add.

That is why an earlier version of the story was too definitive about the precise areas being strengthened. Those solutions make engineering sense, but until Mercedes publishes technical documentation or formally reveals the vehicle, they remain informed assumptions rather than confirmed facts.

The extra mass could affect acceleration, braking distances, fuel consumption and suspension tuning. None of that can yet be quantified because Mercedes has not released the cabriolet’s kerb weight or performance figures.

## AMG details point to a G 63, but do not confirm it

The prototype’s front end, AMG wheels and four side-exit exhaust outlets resemble those of the Mercedes-AMG G 63. The teaser also features the sound of a V8 engine, while one photograph shows the car wearing an AMG-branded number plate. All the clues point towards a G 63 powertrain, but Mercedes still officially refers to the vehicle only as the G-Class Cabriolet.

It would therefore be inaccurate to say that Mercedes has “revealed a four-door AMG giant”. The company has shown an AMG-styled prototype, but it has not confirmed the model designation, engine output or whether the range will be limited to a single powertrain.

For comparison, the closed-roof Mercedes-AMG G 63 uses a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 producing 430 kW and 850 Nm. The engine is assisted by a 48 V starter-generator and sends power through a nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G automatic transmission.

The current G 63 accelerates from 0–100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, while Mercedes lists a top speed of 220 km/h. Its WLTP fuel consumption is rated at 14.7–15.7 l/100 km, with CO₂ emissions of 335–358 g/km. Those figures apply to the closed-roof G 63, not the as-yet-unveiled cabriolet.

The 4.3-second acceleration figure quoted by Auto.ru did not match Mercedes-AMG’s current European technical data.

## Winter testing checks more than cabin warmth

Mercedes said in December 2025 that the G-Class Cabriolet had begun road and test-track trials in Austria. The manufacturer planned to take prototypes to Sweden later in the programme to assess durability, driving dynamics and reliability in cold conditions.

On a convertible, winter places particular demands on the roof mechanism, joints, seals and water-drainage channels. The G-Class’s off-road capability adds body twist, dust, water and rapid temperature changes to that list.

Mercedes had not publicly confirmed by July 2026 whether the Swedish test programme had been completed. It would therefore be premature to claim that the vehicle has already passed its winter tests successfully.

## Its off-road hardware has yet to be confirmed

The closed-roof G 63 comes as standard with permanent four-wheel drive, low-range gearing, three differential locks and AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension with adaptive damping. Mercedes has not yet confirmed whether the cabriolet will retain all the same components or match the same off-road figures.

The vehicle will probably be expected to meet the G-Class’s usual off-road standards because Mercedes describes it as a member of the G-Class family rather than merely a special model using the same design language. That, however, is an analytical conclusion rather than a published technical fact.

Locating the roof mechanism at the rear may also affect the centre of gravity and luggage capacity. The tailgate-mounted spare wheel remains in place on the prototype, which means Mercedes must package the folded roof, its mechanism, the luggage area and the tailgate’s movement within the same section of the vehicle.

## Mercedes is positioning it as a special edition

Mercedes described the G-Class Cabriolet as a special edition in its official announcement. That points to a more exclusive position than the regular model, but does not confirm a limited production run or an AMG G 63 powertrain.

In Europe, a possible 430 kW V8 could make registration and ownership costs extremely high in many countries. The open-top G-Class, however, is unlikely to compete on sales volume. Its appeal will instead rest on rarity, image and emotional value.

There are few direct factory-built rivals. The Jeep Wrangler offers a removable roof and serious off-road hardware, but sits in a different segment in terms of finish, performance and price. The G-Class Cabriolet is more likely to compete with other exclusive luxury cars and low-volume special editions.

The first demonstration of the roof mechanism confirms that development is progressing, but it does not justify declaring the project complete or the reveal imminent. Mercedes says it will share further details in due course, but it has not announced a world-premiere date or the start of sales.