But none do it with quite as much grace and style as the Audi RS4. Stuart Milne can't get enough of this football hooligan in an Armani suit.

I've driven hundreds of cars – some fast, some grippy, but only one which has tried to re-acquaint me with my recently-consumed lunch.

So what was this quite literally sickening vehicle?

A tiny two seater? Nope. A 200mph supercar? Not even close.

It was a comfortable saloon car with leather seats and air conditioning.

That car was the latest Audi RS4, and before me laid several miles of twisty, demanding test track.

I've driven fast Audis before, and I've always been impressed by the amount of grunt available, and the way it's so easy to reach license-threatening speeds.

But I've also found as drivers' cars, they usually fall wide of the mark with lifeless steering and lacking the involvement you get with the BMW M3.

The latest RS4 is a whole new kessel of fische though.

From the moment I hunkered down into its hip-hugging driver's seat and adjusted it so it was gripping me like a bear, I knew this was going to be a fast and furious lap of the Alpine course at the Millbrook proving ground.

Sitting in the fashionably modern cabin, there was silence, such is the RS4's ability to insulate the occupants from nasty noises and encouraging the nice ones.

As soon as I prodded the start button between the seats, all hell broke loose, the throbbing 4.2-litre V8 sounds like a muscle car should – loud and bassy.

Sliding the gearstick into first, I pulled away, and it wasn't long before I was trying to push the limits of grip. But with its excellent four wheel drive system, I ran out of talent while the Audi still had plenty to spare.

The amount of grip on offer was simply staggering, making it the weapon of choice for those wanting to blow Subaru Imprezas and Mitsubishi Evos into the weeds.

Unusually it’s the bit between the bends where things get really interesting.

Jam the accelerator to the floor and the RS4 takes off like an Exocet missile, riding on a fearsome wave of 414bhp and 317lb/ft of pulling power.

From standstill, 62mph passes in a 4.8 second-long blink of the eye, and on to the kind of speed that'll put you in chokey for a long, long time.

Just when you though it simply couldn't get any better, my inquisitive finger jabbed an innocent-looking button marked with an 'S'.

The response from the accelerator became viciously quick and the seats inflated to pin me down in a way only an opponent of Big Daddy could understand. The exhaust got louder too.

According to the chaps at Audi, this button stands for Sport, but it should stand for Sick.

As I threw the RS4 into a tight, steeply-banked right hander, my stomach tried to exit through the bottom of the seat in an attempt to distance itself from its contents.

I realised it was all too much for me, and I knew I'd never drive a car with as much grip and grunt again.

The Audi RS4 is a £50,000 masterpiece and at the moment you won't even save much by buying a used one. Everyone wants a piece of RS4.

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