It is unlike AMG to downgrade themselves and build a mild-mannered, reasonably powerful version of one of their brutal sports car. But hey, that’s what the market wants at the moment, and they are happy to oblige. Meet the new Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe 4MATIC, a diet version of the C63 AMG.

Whereas the big C63 gets a man-sized 500-hp V8, the new Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe boasts an AMG-tuned version of Mercedes-Benz’ 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine with 367 horsepower and 530 Nm of torque. This is still a good amount of oomph and, delivered to all four wheels via a 9G transmission and rear-biased 4MATIC, it propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The new sensible, efficient C-Class AMG also gets a watered-down version everything the C63 comes with. As such, you get AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, AMG DYNAMIC SELECT, three-stage ESP, 18″ AMG light-alloy wheels in 5-spoke design, performance brakes, AMG instrument cluster, multifunction sports steering wheel and upholstery in ARTICO man-made leather and DINAMICA microfibre in black with sports seat upholstery and red stitching.

The 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe, which brings back one of AMG’s earliest badges, is in many ways preferable to the C63. But, crucially, it is just not as exciting as its big brother, and that is the whole point of buying a sports coupe.