MERCEDES-BENZ G500 Cabriolet Review

Mercedes may have recently introduced its almost-automated steering, but that may only concern people in an S-Class or the E-Class facelift model. In here, we couldn’t care less about the system, since sliding off the road in this thing only means having even more fun. The sheer idea of mixing the G-Class’ off-road abilities with an open sky makes you want to start planning routes that take you as far as possible.

In fact, you don’t even have to set wheel on gravel to enjoy the spirit of this car. It’s enough to fold the roof and go for a drive in the city in order to feel privileged. We’re sitting in something that looks tougher than a G63 AMG and yet we’re feeling the elements all around us. That’s a thought we’d like to have time and time again.

Nevertheless, you should mind the handling. This is an old-school offroader and it drives like one. Keep this thing in mind before you allow yourself to fully dig into the resources of that 5.5-liter unit up front, one of the last naturally-aspirated V8s in Mercedes’ range. As an arrogance, the G500 keeps this unit while all the other “500”s in the line-up have switched to a twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8.

Despite not having that torque revolution of a forced induction unit, this powerplant offers plenty of kick. Whether you’re willing to be lazy and keep things under 2,500 rpm or feel that power being released all the way to 6,500 rpm, the unit is perfectly suitable for the vehicle.

Put your foot down and you’ll feel a slight shock in the chassis, a kind reminder of the fact that you are in a convertible.

Nevertheless, the character of the car invites you to drive it in a no-fuss way, moving along gently, but with the force of a river that’s just broken its dam. The 7G-Tronic Plus’ long ratios coupled with the linear power delivery make sure you get this feeling of being unstoppable.

As for the stopping power, this is enough to overcome the 5,247 lbs (2,380 kg) of the car. However, the deceleration experience is affected by the suspension dive, so you shouldn’t end up in situations that require emergency braking.

Now about that handling... The whole thing wobbles about as your speed increases. There’s plenty of body roll, that’s for sure. Fortunately, there’s an overconfident air to the Mercedes G500 Cabriolet - the car is sending you the message that it’s got all the resources in the world, so you can be relaxed, you don’t need to drive fast.

As for the ride, this is, in general, a decently comfortable vehicle. However, we’ve just run into a few pothole bullies and we have to tell you that the suspension didn’t like the big boys. Not for one moment does the car feel affected, but it does send the heftier shocks into the body, making you feel them.

We’re exploiting the mildly-pleasing exhaust now - the note is situated somewhere halfway between a sports exhaust and that of a regular car. We did go a bit too far with this, which meant that the corner which followed showed us what happens when you’re stubborn in a G-Class Cabriolet. At first the electronics deprive you off the acceleration powers gently and, if you’re still acting foolishly, the selective braking steps in pretty violently.

When it comes to the steering, the recirculating ball system used by the G-Class feels pretty far from the rack and pinion setup modern cars have accustomed us with. The latest refresh made the system more refined, so your girlfriend could drive the car, but you can’t talk about feedback and don’t expect the wheel to return to the neutral position when you’re far within the lock range. By the way, the main aim of this hardware is to endure more off-road abuse you can put it through.

There are three shiny buttons on the center console which remind us that we have an invitation to go off the road. This is the only department where the Mansory bits that had been added to this example of the G-Class Cabriolet limited its abilities through. The 22-inch wheels wrapped in high-performance tires are the last thing you want when preparing for a mud bath, so we couldn’t stray too far.

Nevertheless, a drive through the forest with the top down reminded us why we like this car so much. It’s interesting how the Mercedes G-Class Cabriolet can turn a pretty average drive into an event.

Alas, the roof doesn’t just make up the coolest bit of the car, it’s also the element that confines it to the weekend. The canvas top’s upper section provides proper thermal and sound insulation, but the sides and the rear let you down. Once you pass 60 mph (100 km/h) or so, the wind causes the plastic rear side windows to flap like the whole car wants to take off.

We tried to see what happens if we supported these with our hands and were reminded once more that nature must be respected - the vibrations are so strong that you simply can’t do anything about this. And since we started playing, we noticed that our fingers could reach outside if we forced through the space between the rear cloth and the tailgate.

We were thus forced to drive it with the top down most of the time and we have to tell you that this state made it brilliant - the large side areas make it offer pleasant protection.

The explanation for this problem is as simple as it is annoying: last time when the engineers revisited the soft top, it was 1996. It’s pretty ironic that they probably chose to skip this update due to the limited sales of the Cabriolet. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the nasty soft top played an important part in driving potential customers away.

Here’s where the Jeep Wrangler outsmarts the Mercedes G-Class Cabriolet, managing to get over this roof issue. Yes, the Wrangler’s manual soft top makes that of the G-Class look like a work of genius, but the Jeep comes with a removable hardtop.

It’s a pity then that the Mercedes G-Class Cabrio, which turned out to be extremely practical otherwise, is so affected by a piece of canvas.