After the scorched‑earth madness of Episode 1 – 48‑degree heat, questionable fuel planning, and one German car with the drinking habits of an 18‑year‑old at Schoolies – dawn in Jindabyne felt like a reset button.
The air was crisp (it was a chilly 11-degrees at Wildbrumby Distillery), the lake was still, and for the first time on the trip, nobody was sweating through their shirt before breakfast. Perfect conditions to tackle one of NSW’s great drives: The Alpine Way.
This leg of Chasing Corners would take us from Jindabyne up through Thredbo, across the western fall of the Snowies, and eventually north toward Kiandra; a stretch of road that feels purpose‑built for three very different interpretations of German performance.
The BMW M4 Competition was still the loudest voice in the convoy, part sports coupe, part troublemaker. Episode 1 proved it could inhale fuel at a rate that made the rest of us nervous, but on The Alpine Way it redeemed itself.
The climb out of Jindabyne gave the M4 a chance to stretch its legs, its straight‑six singing as it carved through the early‑morning sweepers with the kind of precision that makes you forget how heavy modern performance cars have become.
Behind it, the Volkswagen Arteon R-Line continued its campaign as the surprise package of the trip. The Alpine Way’s tight, technical sections – the ones that snake through tall timber and cling to the mountainside – suited the VW’s all‑wheel‑drive balance.
It never felt stressed, never felt out of its depth. It just got on with the job. And then there was the Audi SQ5 Edition One, Dylan’s plush, hybrid‑assisted cheat code. If the M4 was the athlete and the Arteon the quiet achiever, the SQ5 was the lounge room on wheels.
But on this road, even the SUV found its rhythm. The electric assistance helped punch it out of corners, and the chassis kept it tidy through the tighter sections. It was the car you wanted to be in when the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.
The beauty of The Alpine Way is how quickly it shifts. One minute you’re rolling through open plains with long sightlines; the next you’re threading through dense alpine forest, climbing toward Dead Horse Gap.
The road surface is good, the corners are honest, and the scenery is the kind that makes you forget you’re supposed to be filming a series and not just enjoying the drive. Thredbo flashed past in a blur of ski‑season anticipation.
The descent toward Khancoban delivered some of the best driving of the entire project. Long, flowing bends. Steep drop‑offs. Occasional wildlife reminding us that enthusiasm should never outrun common sense.
It’s the kind of road that rewards discipline and punishes anyone who thinks they’re invincible. From Khancoban, the run north toward Kiandra becomes more remote, more open, and more quietly spectacular.
The Snowy Mountains Highway reappears like an old friend, guiding us through rolling high country that feels a world away from the chaos of Episode 1. Episode 2 was defined by altitude, cold air and the kind of driving that reminds you why you love cars in the first place.
No breakdowns. No drama. Just three Germans, three drivers, and one of the most underrated stretches of tarmac in the country. By the time Kiandra appeared on the horizon; a ghost town with a gold‑rush past and a windswept present, the convoy felt settled.
The cars had found their groove. The team had found its rhythm. And the series had found its second chapter.
