All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Vehicles and SUV's.
So, if you go to the mountains and or travel around Switzerland, you have to have AWD or 4X4, it's just safer and will get you out of trouble more often than struggling with FWD or RWD. The Swiss people get this with up to 50% of all new vehicles being an SUV, for shipping kids around to sports events, trips to the mountains and, or the shops. The SUV just works out of the big cities in Switzerland. Our favourite this year is a little different. We will go with the Ford Ranger T6 Truck. After Ford switched away from the F-150 in Switzerland, the Ford Ranger has been selling over 1,000 units per year, with the T6 Raptor being the vehicle of choice. It's easy to purchase, service and is set up for the European market. Great engine and traction, in the mountains or around the country, you feel safe with many options to keep you safe and secure.
There's many great options and used vehicles on autoscout24 if you don't need a new option.
WeatherTech Car mats
Well, the weather is very changeable in Switzerland, in the mountains, or by the lake, you need to protect the standard carpets in your vehicle. So find properly fitted waterproof, rigid, and secure floorliners, you will not regret it! They fit exactly to the interior of the car. They don't move like normal carpets, and they have many uses.
So there's a real difference between a car mat (carpet) and a car (floorliner) usually a rigid TPE plastic. While carpets may look fine, they don't do much to protect your car from water, salt and dirt and you end up cleaning these through a washing device, but your carpet is already dirty underneath.
Car FloorLiners should be custom-made for your car, fit precisely with large raised edges to retain water. They should be easy to remove and clean and protect all areas of the floor from water, salt and anything else.
So, if you need to change a tyre, put on snow chains, or work around the car, simply pull out the floorliner and use it as a mat on the outside, simple but effective.
Car Service
Just get your car ready for all-weather, window fluid, lights, tyres, spare parts, head-torch, mats (because you are going to be on the floor repairing or fitting something. A tow-hook, reflectors, and who to call in an emergency. These are the basic essentials to stay safe. However, do practise before you go out on the road. Know how to change a tyre, use the jack and or your snow-chains. It saves you so much time when you need to use them.
Konig Snow Chains
Say no more. Just have them, but practise fitting them before you use them. We do this every year. I even do it blind-fold, because the first time you need them, it will be dark, snowy, cold, and difficult, so reduce the risk. I can do mine in 5 minutes for both tyres. We recommend the König Chain CG-9 104 model or variants of them. We've used them for 3 seasons and they can be fitted within 5 minutes (if you practise beforehand).
Continental Winter Tyres
Again, get yourself the best tyres, use sites like Pneus Online to find out what the new tyres are doing. Every year they improve and they make a lot of difference, so we have summer and winter tyres. We recommend the New Continental WinterContact TS870P a super tyre to have on your vehicle. We ran these all winter. They are super stable on the auto-route, with little noise. Great feeling in the corners with the car staying very flat. Off-road, they are precise and great in the snow.
WeatherTech Sun-Winter Shades
You don't think you need them, but you do. Our weather is becoming more intense as our seasons change, so we have dual-purpose, cooling in the summer and warming in the winter (keeping heat). They must fit. I see so many badly fitted sunshades. Any gaps will heat up your car, making them useless. They must be custom-made to your vehicle. So we recommend WeatherTech's internal dual-purpose sun-wintershades, check them out here.
Conclusion
So there you go, 5 things you need to make your life easier in your car in Switzeland, and as we transition into Spring, you will find you need them all at some stage. Remember as the passes begin to open, winter is not done with us yet, so as we approach April, the weather can turn bad, so don't be too quick in going into summer mode.