When you press the "S" button on the steering wheel the sides of your seat squeeze inwards to grip you tighter, as if to say, "Hold on, Buster, things are gonna get all G-forcey."
At the same instant the throttle response quickens and the engine note turns from plain rock to a hardcore heavy metal blare as a pair of butterfly flaps open in the exhaust.
Ear candy never sounded cooler; nothing can match the hedonistic, spine-tingling holler of a V8 in full cry.
Audi's made a lot of fast and desirable cars in its time, but none has pushed my buttons quite like the new RS4. This is Audi letting its hair down.
The power has as much to do with the RS4's charisma as does the sound track. German automakers have gone cuckoo with kilowatts in the past few years.
This high-revving 4.2-litre V8 wields a claimed 309kW along with 430Nm - serious muscle in anyone's language.
Every time I gunned that throttle I had to fight the reflex to shout "phwoar" or " three-two-one-bungee", or simply cackle with delight.
The power delivery is instant and almost brutal, hammering you into your Recaro bucket seat, which really is shaped like something you haul water in.
There's no throttle lag with this normally-aspirated engine; the horses start galloping hard and fast right out of the starting gate and continue romping forward until the limiter quells the stampede at 8250rpm.
But what y'all really want to know is how it does against its arch-rivals, the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C55 AMG.
Audi claims 0-100km/h in 4.8sec at sea level for the RS4 quattro against a claimed 5.2sec for each of its rear-wheel drive rivals, which is interestingly close given their widely differing capacities and drive trains.
The manual 3.2-litre M3 lays claim to 252kW and 365Nm while the automatic 5.4-litre C55 AMG is rated at 270kW and 510Nm.
By our stopwatches at Gauteng's altitude it's an even more closely contested affair: the RS4's 5.7sec sneaks in ahead of the Beemer's 5.8 and the Merc's 5.9. The quarter mile sprints also go to the Audi by a whisker.
But before Audi fans start popping corks bear in mind that these figures, averaged over several runs, show very small margins and in real life it's the driver with the better clutch/throttle technique that's going to win any robot-to-robot dice 'twixt the Audi and the Beem.
The Merc has an automatic gearbox so there's no time to be found in technique; it's just pedal to the metal.
Too much traction
We're not too surprised that the more powerful Audi doesn't beat its opponents by larger margin, as all-wheel drive Audis have never been especially quick off the mark.
On a dry, grippy surface the quattro drive has too much traction and doesn't allow the initial burst of wheelspin you need to get the best sprint times.
However the more powerful Audi beats the M3 hands-down in overtaking acceleration where traction isn't an issue. The Merc has the quickest roll-on times here but that's because its automatic gearbox kicks down and doesn't stay in one gear.
The RS4 is a thriller in the corners too. Previous Audis have probably been more hindered than helped by their quattro systemt, except on slippery roads where all wheel drive's traction benefits are indisputable.
Early understeer
In the dry, quattro drive tends to cause early understeer, but that bane of the enthusiast driver has almost been cured in Audi's latest rocket.
The trick is its new asymmetric/dynamic quattro system that diverts more drive to the rear wheels than before (up to 85 percent) for improved turn in. A Torsen power divider automatically varies the front/rear power split as required to ensure optimal traction.
The result is a car that won't go nose-first into the bushes when dicing a rear-wheel drive M3 through a mountain pass. The RS4 turns into a corner crisp and sharp, and if the front does start pushing a bit wide, a quick lift of the throttle will tuck it back in.
And yes, tail slides are on the menu as well, but in a forgiving fashion. Even with the ESP traction control switched off the car isn't prone to sudden, unexpected spins. The racing-developed brakes are stupendous too.
Sophisticated ethos
Here we have an Audi that's a bit more fun and flamboyant but maintains its sophisticated ethos; more Richard Branson than Vin Diesel.
It's not an uncompromising sports machine for the hardened enthusiast bearing a "comfort is for wussies" tattoo.
It's tame and approachable when you wish it to be, moving contentedly through heavy traffic with neither a snatchy-feeling throttle nor a heavy clutch. Ingolstadt has built a car that attains that most elusive duality: hardcore thrills with an easy-to-drive nature.
The same goes for comfort: the ride's firm but nothing that will dislodge dental work, as an active suspension system called Dynamic Ride Control firms up the dampers in hard cornering but softens them for normal driving.
The low profile tyres make the car feel a little jittery over smaller bumps and ripples but the general ride quality is good.
'Move over, I'm coming through'
Audi is sometimes a bit soft on the styling side, but has given the RS4 the face to go with the pace. Its "move-over-I'm-coming-through" factor is assured by muscular spoilers and skirts, aluminium side mirrors and 18" (optionally 19") mags.
Inside, Audi's usual quality and styling flair are revved up by those racing seats, aluminium pedals and a flattened-on-the-bottom steering wheel borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo.
It's the height of cool - and I mean that in both senses as the aluminium part feels decidedly chilly in your hands on winter mornings, as does the aluminium gearknob.
SUMMARY
The rapid, roaring RS4 loosens Audi's corporate tie and unleashes the soul and charisma that was missing from many fast Audis of the past. It not only looks good on the stopwatch but also triggers the senses in most appealing fashion.
G-forces and grace are in harmony here. The RS4 is a comfortable, sophisticated grand tourer that can be called upon to dispense Ferrari-frightening pace if you're in the mood.
In this car you usually are.
Price:
R598 000
- Test car from Audi SA.