This is not a car for the faint hearted – but it is one for someone who doesn’t want to get noticed. Aside from some huge, and incredibly sexy, wheels, and the bulging arches that house them, this car almost fades into the background. Even with the semi-fluorescent shade of “Sprint Blue” that our car came in, it still looks like one of the countless slightly pimped up Audi A4s that pound the motorway miles every day up and down the country.

There is one major difference between the RS4 and the rep-mobiles though. They are powered by 1.9 litre diesel engine, as opposed the monstrous 414bhp 4.2 litre petrol lump I had the pleasure of piloting for a week. This is no lazy Yank Tank style engine either – its power comes courtesy of the 8000rpm rev limit. That’s high for a tiny engined hot hatch, let alone something this big.

The performance is best sampled after a quick prod of the S button on the steering wheel. All right, it’s a gimmick, but when the bucket seat’s sides puff up to hold you tighter, and the exhaust takes a deeper note, my heart rate steps up a couple of beats too. In the first three gears there is a distinct extra shove when the rev counter hits 5500, which is enough to make me tighten my grip on the wheel – it’s also a good idea to make sure you don’t have nervous passengers if you plan on doing this bit. It’s a fast car, and no mistake. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a screamer of an engine though – it can pull from low down too. One gentleman I took for a ride thought that it had an automatic gearbox as we accelerated straight from 30 to over 100 in a long seamless push. Even 6th gear, which is geared for around 200mph, can be used from 30mph upwards, and with a useful amount of shove too.

But this car is not all about straight lines - Audi are very proud of how it handles too. From the outside it is easy to see that the suspension has been lowered, which helps give the car a really sporting feel from behind the wheel - as well as from the outside. It was cold, greasy and sometime icy, for the whole time I had the car, so I was relatively circumspect in my driving, but the car’s four wheel drive meant one less thing to worry about - a nice feature for an everyday car in this country. Perhaps the most impressive aspect though is the ride comfort – it is superb for a car this sporty – it feels super taught, but still relaxed at the same time: a real achievement for whoever designed it.

So, it’s fast, comfortable and low key – maybe the perfect combination for a daily driver car? I think so, as long as you don’t mind how thirsty it is!