Mercedes Will Bully The Suzuki Jimny With Its New Baby G-Class

Until now, that is. The CarBuzz spies have finally snapped the littlest G-Class on the road undergoing testing, as it gets ready for its expected market launch within two years.

It's The Most Adorable Mercedes

Our first look at the new Baby G shows something that looks more like a Japanese Kei-car than it does an off-road rugged Mercedes-Benz. Seriously, if this hadn't come from our high-skilled spy photo team, we'd think it was a Suzuki Jimny with some camouflage and a body kit. Considering all the Jimny body kits we've seen through the years making it look like a tiny G, the irony of an actual tiny G isn't lost on us here.

This is a legit Mercedes. You can see some of the G-Class details that have been scaled down, starting with the greenhouse. It's not just the ultra-square windows that scream G, it's the roofline, too. The prominent drip rail that runs around the G-Class is unmistakable as a feature of that SUV.

A massive spare tire cover is another G signature, but on this small SUV with big tires and wheels, it takes up almost the entire rear glass area. Fortunately, reversing cameras are mandatory in most markets. The squared-off protruding fender flares are yet another G-Class detail.

There are G-like aspects that work to differentiate the two as well. The large G-Class has large round headlights, a look it has worn for years. The baby G has the same shape, but its running lights only cover half the circle instead of the whole thing. On the Big G, the turn signals are mounted in a pod on the fender. Here they're in the headlights.

Still Likely To Be Electric

We believe Mercedes-Benz is still planning for this Baby G to be an electric vehicle, though Benz's messaging on that has changed recently. It will be more of a lifestyle model than the big one, but Benz is certainly aware that most G-Class models are suburb-bound G580 and G63 models, not the diesel workhorses sold in Germany.

The German automaker teased the SUV at the IAA show in Munich a few months ago. It confirmed that the new SUV would be a body-on-frame vehicle using a bespoke platform, and not just another Benz crossover. So it could still deliver the off-road capability that made the original famous.

"Over time, just looking at the car’s capabilities and what's needed, I came more and more to the conclusion that everything has to be unique, the whole upper body and everything. You know, I can't even take a door handle from [the current] portfolio, because the G-Class has such unique door handles," chief technology officer, Markus Schäfer said at the show.

Expect the baby G-Class to launch in late 2026 or early 2027. It will have its own name by then, which will probably be immediately recognizable. Expect more as Mercedes-Benz gets ready to bring it to market.