Seeking to inject new sparkle into its stateside image as it unleashed the all-new 6-cylinder A4 sports sedan, Audi of America hired McKinney and Silver to handle the advertising chores. Landing an auto account is quite a lucrative plum for ad strokes; the competition can become as fierce as a high-speed, last lap, do-or-die checkered flag joust among race car drivers vying for a world title.

So when the Audi big cheeses tossed out, "A missile in the war against mediocrity," you knew it didn't originate from the engineering or accounting departments. Such big talk instantly raised a fleet of red flags, furrowed my brow and shoved the car onto a microscope slide.

As it turns out, I needn't have gotten my panties in such a bunch because the advanced technology A4 that replaces the Audi 90 model is a high-value-packed driver's car that carries a base sticker of $26,500. Better yet, Audi restructured its packaging and now the highly desirable, Pike's Peak conquering, fourth-generation Quattro package that features an automatic electronic differential locking capability can be had for a mere $1,500 more. BMW and Mercedes Benz have something to worry about.

As I flung the A4 around country curves and over highway hills, it was evident the car's four-link front suspension was well suited to its architecture. The load-sensing anti-lock brakes (ABS5) and electronic traction assist never showed the least bit of sniveling when I nailed the pedal to the floorboard and cranked in some quick commands to the steering after passing a particularly tasty photo location. I like a car that doesn't argue with your intentions. Same with my men.

Audi's newest kid also sports all the requisite power toys: eight-way seats, one-touch up/down windows, locks, mirrors and sunroof. The climate control system boasts a pollen filter and a sun sensor that automatically adjusts interior air temperature when it detects variations in sunlight. Yep, that's right -- your very own environment butler.

Smoothly sculpted body lines envelope the ingenious front-wheel drive system managed by the physics of "virtual steering axis" that cancels most seat-sucking moments experienced during tense moments in many front-wheel drive vehicles. The genius rests with how Audi supports the wheels and results in not only nearly eliminating nasty torque steer, but a substantial increase in "road-feel" feedback to the driver. The thought, "To be forewarned is to be forearmed" is aptly applied in this instance.

The drive train is another stellar achievement. For the first time, the all-wheel drive Quattro system can be ordered with an automatic transmission and employs Audi's Dynamic Shift Program (DSP), an electronic monitoring program that selects a suitable shifting strategy from over 200 pre-programmed options. Look for great off-the-line starting, nearly seamless gear changes and economical highway fuel consumption out of the lightweight 2.8 liter, 172 horsepower V6 engine.

Vice President Gerd Klauss predicts the A4 will catapult the automaker into a 50% growth mode over last year's sales. Although some may say such claims are full of fleeting "Fasching" ambition, putting in a few miles behind the wheel may quite likely leave you with the same impression I came away with: the affordable sports sedan segment has a new benchmark.