Audi's new rocket: the hills are alive with the sound of a V-8.

Having grown up in the hills above Santa Cruz, Calif., I learned to drive on the winding, twisting mountain roads that connected the famous beach city with Silicon Valley. So when I recently had the opportunity to drive the new Audi RS 4 sport sedan through the hills north of Montreal, I jumped.

Sliding into the car's luxurious leather seats out in front of the W Hotel, where Audi was wining and dining a group of "lifestyle journalists," my partner, Todd, and I took off on an 80-mile drive to the town of Sainte-Marguerite. We were headed for a lunch by the lake at Bistro Champlain, including a tour of owner Champlain Charest's world-famous wine cellar.

By the time I reached third gear, I was already sold. The RS 4's manual six-speed gearbox shifts with the kind of smoothness found in much higher priced sports cars, though its stilt clutch took some time to master. A 420-horsepower V-8 makes no secret of its presence, roaring to 60 miles per hour in an amazing 4.9 seconds.

Once off the freeway, the fall colors were in full splendor as the RS 4 hugged every turn, hill, and plunge in the narrow roads of Quebec's countryside. Continuing the tradition of Audi's "quattro" all-wheel drive, the RS 4 features a new torque-distribution system that otters extrasporty driving dynamics with extremely tight handling ability.

Inside the car's cockpit, easy-to-use navigation and stereo systems share a large color LCD display. Sporty details include Recaro bucket seats, aluminum pedals, and a stopwatch with lap timer for those trips around the racetrack. And there's a feeling of luxury that connects the RS 4 to Audi's higher-end sport sedans, including the new S8, which rocketed Todd and me back to the hotel with its 450-horsepower V-10. But that's another story.