…With one hand firmly planted on the perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel and the other on the shift knob, pump the tach up a few hundred rpms and drop the light-effort clutch. ESP is on, and we’re in S mode, so the Pirelli PZero tires used for today’s track run grab like a mofo and throttle response is immediate, putting 317 lb.-ft. of torque to work almost immediately and rocketing the 2007 Audi RS 4 out of pit row. That’s a good number, but find yourself in the wrong gear and the engine will bog down a bit – better to dance with the rev limiter and saddle up to play equestrian. Spin the motor into the 7,000 rpm range, where the S mode has opened up the exhaust to make beautiful music, then slide in the clutch, flick the tranny into second, pop that third pedal and the response could snap a neck. Just don’t try too hard to find second – that almost guarantees a blown shift.

Enter the race track at the approach to turn one, hammer down in the straight to turn two, track out and drop a quick pat on the brakes so the RS 4 takes a set, then rip around a wide sweeper while feathering the throttle. The tight steering does an excellent job of communicating grip, all while speeds reach 80 mph heading into the apex. By now it’s full on as the RS 4 tracks out and then tucks back in before braking hard into turn three. There’s no fade or shudder, as will be the case after each lap performed on this sunny, 85-degree day.

Turn three is a tight uphill left where most cars would give up the goose, either losing traction or unleashing a nightmare of buzzing and power-cutting stability control systems. The RS 4 hunkers down with no such nonsense, or any signs of under- or oversteer. The V8 is revving high in third gear around a horseshoe kink heading into a downhill right hander; dump some muscle on the throttle tracking left and then right just before a strong pump of the brakes and a sweeping left. After a quick flick into fourth gear, crest a gentle rise in a soft curve to the right and then put hammer down for the back straight, reaching about 110 mph before it’s time to bend into turn eight.

Some brake pressure at the end of the straight transitions weight to the front, preparing the RS 4 for a long, high-speed sweeper with a tricky entrance to the final turn on the course. Track out near the end of turn eight, and then cut into the last apex before heading full throttle into the front straight. Gently track left, perform quick foot work to find fourth and then fifth, and blast past the pits at about 125 mph before standing hard on the brakes and downshifting into third. Now, repeat the whole thing over again, except faster this time because you’re learning the track. After several laps, it was clear that the 2007 Audi RS 4’s unrelenting acceleration, infallible brakes, responsive and precise steering, and exceptional overall stability make it an ideal daily driver/track car.

On the way to and from Willow Springs, we had a chance to evaluate the Audi RS 4 in more traditional circumstances, on highways and back roads where the majority of buyers would spend their time. Impressions were much the same as on the track, though we came to fully appreciate the easy clutch in heavy traffic and enjoyed decent visibility thanks to the small rear quarter windows. At these slower speeds, the S-mode button made the exhaust noticeably louder at higher revs, though the quickened throttle response was a bust unless engineers actually intended to give the car a too-sensitive pedal. S mode works great while flogging the RS 4 on the track, but around town it has little benefit. Body roll on and off the track was almost nonexistent, and while hard to notice barreling along on the big track at Willow Springs, a jaunt on the highway unveiled a decidedly stiff ride and some unruly wind noise from the top of the windshield.