Our favourite cars for traversing the Alps this winter

What is it about cars and mountains — the way they complement one another like a cold bottle of Bollinger and a tin of Oscietra? The Alps, with their glassy lakes, hairpin passes and spectacular vistas, form the ultimate playground for a great machine. The altitude tests engines and egos alike; the roads reward courage and restraint. And when motor meets mountain, the result is pure theatre — power against gravity, control against chaos. From the sculpted elegance of a grand tourer cresting the Julier Pass to the bullish charm of a 4x4 clawing up an icy track, the Alps bring out the very best in a car’s character. These are five that don’t just perform up high — they belong there.

Few cars capture the essence of Verbier quite like the all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 GTS — refined, confident, and full of flare. Its flat-six engine cuts in the thin mountain air, devouring every rev as the valley falls away below. Porsche’s torque vectoring and flawless steering make the twisting climb from Le Châble to Le Chalet d’Adrien a lesson in balance and control — each hairpin a note in a perfectly tuned sonata. For those who live for alpine rhythm, it’s pure poetry in motion.

Top speed: 194 mph | 0–62 mph: 3.0 sec | Power: 541 PS | Starting price: £144,400

Klosters has long blended rugged discretion with aristocratic understatement — typical of the noble Grenadier. Born from hard-nosed British engineering and tested on Austria’s Schöckl mountain, it’s a machine built for purpose, not posturing. Its BMW straight-six, triple locking diffs and hose-out floors make it unstoppable on the snowy trails up to the Wolfgang Pass or over to Davos. Honest, mechanical and endlessly capable, it’s the car for those who prefer adventure to attention.

Top speed: 99 mph | 0–60 mph: 8.6 sec | Power: 282 bhp | Starting price: £64,500

Amongst the refined chaos of Kitzbühel — all racing heritage and après-ski hedonism — the Aston Martin DBX feels perfectly at home. It’s a 697 bhp ice axe in Savile Row tailoring. The climb up to the Kitzbüheler Horn rewards its dual nature — composed GT one moment, feral super-SUV the next. Carbon-ceramic brakes bite hard, the exhaust howls off the rock faces, and you arrive at the Hahnenhamm with a smile as wide as the Streif itself. A car for those who like their caviar shaken, not stirred.

Top speed: 193 mph | 0–60 mph: 3.1 sec | Power: 697 bhp | Starting price: £196,000

The G-Wagon is as much a part of Gstaad’s skyline as its chalets — opulent, immovable, and unmistakable. With 577 bhp and all-wheel drive, it shrugs off snowdrifts on the Promenade like confetti. Inside, it’s all quilted leather, heated everything and Burmester bliss. Take it up the winding road to Lauenen, where pine forests close in and the valley hushes — the perfect backdrop for a car that’s as much about presence as performance.

Top speed: 137 mph | 0–62 mph: 4.4 sec | Power: 585 bhp | Starting price: £141,000

Nowhere suits the Bentley Continental GT quite like St Moritz — elegant, imperious and utterly self-assured. Its twin-turbo W12 turns the Julier Pass into silk, wafting from curve to curve in silent, effortless thrust. Inside, polished veneers and hand-stitched hides cocoon you from the elements, as Lake St Moritz glints below like a sheet of glass. It’s more than transport; it’s ballet on ice — the definitive expression of Alpine luxury.

Top speed: 168 mph | 0–60 mph: 3.5 sec | Power: 671 bhp | Starting price: £186,000

From Verbier’s winding ascents to the crisp serenity of St Moritz, the Alps offer a rare kind of harmony — where engineering meets environment, and indulgence feels entirely justified. Some cars belong on circuits, others on city streets. But these five? They were made for the mountains.

Read next about the Porsche Carrera GTS or the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster or the Rolls Royce Black Badge Cullinan.