CRAMMING a very powerful V8 into a smallish car designed around a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine – or a 3.0-litre V6 – is a concept that would leave fast-car critics aghast. The latest Audi S4 does just that, and it is everything you’d imagine such an unlikely marriage to be. It is almost astonishingly rapid, but not for a moment does it feel incapable of dealing with its tremendous power-weight ratio. Constant four-wheel drive takes care of that – as do the electronic systems that add finesse to the power delivery while looking after brakes and any signs of unwanted on-road discrepancies. Along with the Audi RS6, the S4 is one of the most inspirational cars of the year.