THERE’S no clear way to say this than Audi has taken the concept of the high-performance sedan and rewritten the rules on expectations with the 2015 S3 sedan.

For the PlayStation generation, terms like 2-litre, turbocharged, four-wheel-drive instantly drum up some Asian four-door econobox tarted up to play racer on the street. Those from the Atari age would easily remind that generation rallying was a European and gentlemanly pursuit.

That much is clear at a simple glance at the Audi S3 with its clean body lines devoid of the unnecessary over-the-top elements so common to its rivals. No silly spoilers, just subtle aerodynamic aids littered around car culminating in a purposeful front grille and lower bumper ready to feed the boosted beast within.

Slip into the driver seat without even starting the engine and there’s little question that the S3 has no competition. The seats, fully powered, offer a blend of support and comfort, but most importantly, at the stoplight owners won’t look over and see ‘tuner kid’â with a similar set. The lavishness and quality that is S3’s cabin extends into every detail from the aggressive feel of the flat-bottomed steering wheel to the tactile feedback the air vents give you as you adjust them.

One thing is certain: This isn’t some hastily cobbled together Japanese rally homologation special, this is a car you can live with every day enjoying premium features like a 705-watt 14-speaker stereo, power everything, the ability to customise via the MMI system and more safety technology than you can shake a stick at. Lane departure, self-parking, to name a few, it’s all here.

Coddled in luxury and refinement would lead one to believe that there is compromise elsewhere. Raise the MMI’s screen out of the dashboard, select dynamic from one of the five modes available, at which point a prod of the throttle will erase that thought. There’s no compromise on the S3’s performance.

290bhp may not sound like much to the power-obsessed, but the S3 eats the 60mph sprint in 4.8 seconds aided in no small part by the 280lb/ft constantly available between 1,350 and 4,500 rpm. This all flows seamlessly through 6-speed S-tronic Dual Clutch gearbox. Quattro, Audi’s intelligent all-wheel-drive system maintains traction at license-losing speed.

Tired of driving fast, select efficiency and keep some extra money in your pocket.

The final combination is a knock-out blow of speed, drivability, refinement, luxury and efficiency no other rival performance sedan starting with a base price of $7,995,000 can currently match.