It seems I'm not alone in liking the car either, as its combination of good looks and frankly extraordinary performance are working in the marketplace too; Audi has managed to shift over 500 RS6s so far this year. Compare that with 279 BMW M5s for the whole of last year and just 53 this year to date and you'll see what I mean.

There's another reason why I reckon the RS6 is proving such a hit in the UK and that's the fact that this 450bhp monster can be had as an estate as well as a saloon. It may surprise you to learn that over three-quarters of all RS6s sold in the UK so far have been Avants. That expansive boot at the back might do nothing for the body's rigidity but it certainly transforms the car's usefulness, making it a proper family load-lugger that'll get used every day, as our mileage proves. After checking the sales figure you do wonder if BMW has been missing a trick by refusing us a Touring version of the M5 in the UK over the last few years. Even continental Europe has done without one in the outgoing E39 model's life.

As I revelled once more in the pulverising performance between the roundabouts of Milton Keynes, I reckoned there was absolutely nothing quicker than the Audi. That was until I was roundly spanked by a Yamaha R1. I have to admit the bike was seriously quick, but I'd like to see it carry as much stuff as the RS6 when you're moving house.

Once again I realised that replacing the Audi isn't going to be easy.