A united HRE - a potential great power?

Let's say for some reason (like having several Emperors with successful internal policy in a row) HRE does not disintegrate into hundreds of independent states but instead follows a typical transition pattern from feudal monarchy into an absolutist monarchy, becoming an unified state by 16th century.

And here things get interesting:
1. Austria never becomes a power on it's own. Instead, it constitutes only a small part of a big and powerful German state.
2. Netherlands stay as a part of HRE. As a consequence, Dutch Golden Age never materializes.

If such a scenerio is possible, what would it's other consequences be? Would a united HRE have colonial ambitions? Would it's eastern expansion follow the Austrian and Prussian pattern of expanding into Poland and The Balkans? If yes, would these territories undergo faster Germanization as a result of migration and sheer economic attractiveness of HRE?
 
A HRE that becomes a true nation by the 1500s is going to be a German empire plus some additional territory and it's going to absolutely dominate Europe demographically, politically, and economically. It really will be a second Rome straddling Europe.

The Reformation might be in serious trouble since there's going to be a central authority to stamp out any troublemakers. I suspect German is going to be more like Spain, thoroughly Catholic.

The Ottomans aren't going to get anywhere near Vienna since Austria now has a significant percentage of Europe's wealth and population to aid them. In fact the border with the Ottomans might actually be pushed south. If the HRE unites and the Reformation is quelled I suspect that more Crusades are in the future to fight in the Balkans.

I wouldn't actually predict a lot of colonies for a HRE. It's still a continental power who's position puts its focus on the Balkans and Baltic. Perhaps the Netherlanders push for some but I don't see them replacing England France or Spain as the major colonizers.
 
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