There’s no shortage of hot hatches on the market - in fact, the niche is becoming a rather cutthroat arena slowly but steadily. There’s also no doubt that two of its hottest representatives come from Honda and Mini, in the shape of the Civic Type R and the bonkers John Cooper Works GP. These two happen to make the subject of a recent comparo by Edmunds. Care to see which one came out on top?

Angry bulldog meets refreshed shinobi

For 2020, Honda made sure the Type R is as fresh as it can still be. Mechanically, we’re looking at retuned dampers and a reworked front suspension that promises better steering feel. Acoustically, drivers will be handed fake engine noises that vary in intensity according to the selected drive mode.

Price-wise, the 2020 Type R demands at least $37,950, for which you get the same tried and tested turbo’ed four-cylinder, 2.0-liter mill tuned to crank out 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of twist. A short-throw six-speed manual makes sure the front wheels are properly fed with the said resources.

In the opposite corner, the 2020 Mini JCW GP looks like a trademark of Mini bonkerism. It’s the fastest, most powerful (and most expensive, by the way) Mini to come out of Oxford thanks to a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine with 302 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque - that’s 74 horses and 95 pound-feet more than a ‘regular’ Mini JCW. It, too, sends power to the front axle, but through an eight-speed auto. Starting sticker: $45,750.

That said, just head to the video and see how these two fare on a track. They’re both built for such an environment, so they’re expected to perform at their best.

2020 Honda Civic Type R - Specs

2020 Mini JCW GP - Specs