A few months ago I was invited to dinner with the board of Audi. I had been identified, mysteriously, along with two other motoring journalists, as being a prime mover among those responsible for spreading the notion that Audis did not ride or handle properly.

Usually I’d have politely declined such an invitation because I already spend too much time being lectured by car manufacturers, but this one promised to be different. For once, a manufacturer didn’t want to speak, it wanted to listen. Throughout one extraordinary evening Audi’s most powerful men offered neither excuse nor explanation. They did as promised and listened; some even took notes.

So I’d like to take credit for the fact that this new RS 4 is the first Audi I have driven since the original quattro died 15 years ago that not only looks good and goes fast, but also handles well on a decent road. Sadly, however, that would be unrealistic. Nevertheless the very fact that Audi called the meeting suggested it was aware of a problem and my drive confirmed that the car maker is well on the way to finding a solution. Put simply, this is the most exciting Audi of the modern era as well as Audi’s quickest ever road car.

Its starting point is the A4-based S4 boasting a 339bhp 4.2 litre V8 motor. To turn it into an RS 4 the engine has been breathed upon to provide a mighty 414bhp and to allow it to rev to 8250rpm without exploding. The suspension, brakes and bodywork have been uprated to suit. But we’re used to RS Audis and their giant power outputs, convincing body kits and impressive on-paper specification. What I had not previously encountered was a machine worthy of being described as a true driver ’s car.

The RS 4 is, of course, savagely quick. Its claimed 0-62mph time of 4.8sec seems almost ludicrously conservative. But that’s not why this car gets a four-star rating while the S4 struggled to earn two. For all its power, it is the engine’s versatility that impresses most. It shrieks like a scarcely silenced racing car one minute and lopes like a limo the next.

Of all the engines Audi has made in recent times this is its finest. In times gone by that would have led to a lament that the car it was fitted to was unworthy of its talent. But you don’t need to fling the RS 4 through a tricky corner or do much more than simply drive it up the road to know that, finally, Audi has paid attention to the whole driving experience.

For a start, it offers a beautifully controlled and rather comfortable ride. Indeed, Audi made the well-intentioned mistake of taking us from and to the airport in flagship A8 limousines, not one of which rode as well as this. Audi has also fiddled with its four-wheel-drive system so instead of apportioning the power equally between the front and rear axles, the split is now 60/40 in favour of the back wheels, making the car feel less nose heavy and more responsive.

Even so, this is not a perfect solution and anyone thinking that the RS 4 is going to provide the thrills so readily available in the cheaper, older and considerably less powerful BMW M3 needs to think again. The RS 4 may now be at least as technically accomplished but it is a lot less fun to drive. Its steering has a slightly inert feel and when you do push it hard its priorities remain firmly to save you from yourself, whereas an M3 will continue happily indulging its driver well past the point where most observers would say you were having just about as much fun as is prudent on a public road.

So I’d rather drive an M3. But deciding which to live with is an altogether more difficult question. Few of us live on the road of our dreams and are lucky to spend 5% of our time at the helm really driving, rather than merely pointing our cars. And this is where the comfortable, quiet and beautifully built RS 4 comes into its own. It’s so civilised that the only hint of its potential in normal life is the rapidly plummeting fuel gauge. Yet all the time you know that a monster lies under the bonnet and, for once, you are in complete control.

So that’s why I’m so excited about this car, not for the fine product that it undoubtedly is, but because the missing link I have spent more than a decade searching for in every Audi I have driven has finally turned up. There has been a clear change of philosophy and I can see no reason why it cannot be applied across the board to all Audis. Just imagine that: Audis that are as good to drive as they are to look at. You’d need to work for BMW not to see the good in that.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Audi RS 4
Engine type 4163cc, eight cylinders
Power/Torque 414bhp @ 7800rpm / 317 lb ft @ 5500rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 20.9mpg (combined cycle) / 324g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 4.8 sec / Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)
Price £49,980
Verdict The most exciting new Audi in 25 years
Rating 4/5

THE OPPOSITION

Model BMW M3 £41,875
For Cracking performance, great handling, good looks
Against Ageing, only two doors, firm ride

Model Mercedes C55 AMG £48,765
For Characterful engine, surprisingly comfortable
Against Fearsome fuel consumption, automatic only