The Mercedes C-Class tells a story of extremes; the heights of its plot separated by a stampede of 322 horses, all thoroughbreds of a fine, German pedigree.

Late last year, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) introduced a facelift for the passenger grade W205, flexing its jolly green muscles along the way by introducing a new 1.5-litre engine for the C200 Avantgarde. But the real hulk only joined the fray a few months later; its grand entrance in the Sepang International Circuit peppered with trails of smoke and awe no less. That’s the kind of treatment an additional 322bhp buys you.

The thug-to-tux transformation may seem a bit out of character given how much more “gangsta” the C63’s Panamericana-grilled face has gotten, but its quad pipes still drop a mean beat when you’re in the mood, but we’ll get to that later.

Beyond applying the gloss to a few blunt edges under the hood, AMG also identified the C63’s dynamic programming as a vital cog worth recalibrating, which is why we now have things like AMG Dynamics and AMG Traction Control. The former is an extension of Merc’s Dynamic Select driving mode menu, which breaks down “Individual” mode to four stages, namely Basic, Advanced, Pro and Master. If you think that last name is just pushing it, it’s worth noting that “Master” can only be engaged with the ESP switched to Sport or turned off completely.

Killing the ESP also allows more brazen drivers brimmed with the confidence of taming Stuttgart’s notorious bad boy to tinker with AMG Traction Control, which offers nine levels of slip allowance in the rear axle. That’s basically a nine-stage drift mode in layman’s terms.

The Coupe has always been the more tail-happy C63 to begin with thanks to its 50mm wider rear axle. That shock-inducing charm isn’t exactly lost on the facelift, but the ‘behavioural correction’ gives you solid reassurance that you’ll only be served some smoky, sideways action when your bowels are actually up for it.

In truth, we rarely went beyond flicking the new, steering-mounted Dynamic Select toggle to Sport (Sport + at most) throughout the weekend we spent behind its wheel predominantly within the Klang Valley. Comfort mode actually hit the spot for the most part – the AMG Ride Control’s relatively civil damping coupled with the disciplined yet urgent response from the twin-turbo V8 sets the bar pretty high as far as daily sports cars go – but it was hard not to fiddle with a toggle that had its own circular colour screen in the centre.

In hotter driving configurations, every malevolent legend you’ve ever heard about the C63 rises to the surface. Let’s not forget that MBM exclusively sells C63 S models, which pack 40bhp and 50Nm more than the regular C63 of which many tales have been told. Unshackled, the guttural soundtrack of the Coupe’s AMG Performance exhaust is a reminder of the car’s inherent brute force, and a tempting invitation to have a go at it.

Having some Bach piped through the C63’s Burmester speakers instead will calm the senses to better appreciate the updated interior, which is essentially a W205/C205 facelift cabin with a splash of red leather, carbon trim and the works.

The digital cockpit with AMG-specific displays is especially fetching. Both the main infotainment and instrument cluster are customisable, so the driver has the freedom to choose between minimalist graphics or stat overload to geek out on; the choice is all yours.