At 210hp, that gives it the same power as the Golf GTI. The question will then be whether the Type R is able to beat the GTI in all the other departments, which then turns it into a crapshot since some things will be better and some things will be worse. Heck, even the power deficient XR5T has 222hp!

I'm not Honda, but if it was me and I had to overcome the stigma of a design that looked like the un-sporty FN2R, I'd turn up the wick and aim my power specs towards cars such as the Megane RenaultSport's 250hp. Then it puts the Type R beyond the hot hatch (which is now the warm hatch since even an Aurion will kill it in a straight line) and into the serious hyper-hatch category of the Megane, Golf R and Scirocco R.