But that’s a conversation for another day. Right now, we have a C 43 idling gently in front of us, a few hours to kill, and a planned route encompassing suburban streets, smooth highway and coarse, winding country roads.

The look and feel of a luxury car

The new C 43 features everything that’s noteworthy about the current C-Class range, whilst adding a few sporty touches: larger wheels, AMG’s performance-style grille, a boot-lip spoiler and quad exhaust outlets. Its evolutionary exterior, which embodies the Mercedes-Benz design principle of ‘Sensual Purity’, brings thoroughly modern touches to the C-Class’s classic three-box shape. The overall impression is a distinctive car with a confident yet understated stance.

Rather than unleashing a howling beast, the C 43 emits a throaty warble under full power – and upshifting the nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT transmission under acceleration draws characterful booms and pops.

Even a series of off-camber switchbacks can’t fluster the C 43, which draws upon the dual competencies of rear-wheel steering and 4MATIC all-wheel-drive. With crisper turn-in available as the rear wheels track the front of the car, you can accurately point the C 43 at the corner apex then quickly pick up the throttle with the assurance of grip-and-go traction from all four corners.

The experience really gets to the heart of what this new C 43 is about. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, there’s enough performance to have a lot of fun, but never so much that it becomes overwhelming. With the latest C 43, you can choose your own adventure.