I've flown a lot of the Cessna singles, and am pretty fond of my 177 to be honest. Flown the 182 and it was ok, but burnt a lot more fuel! Mine is a fixed gear version with the 180bhp engine, although it's now 205bhp thanks to the Powerflow exhaust. The RGs come with a 200bhp engine and are a bit faster. The gear can be problematic if it's not correctly maintained though.
177 plus points:
Looks fantastic
Wings set back for great viz even in turns (and no struts)
Loads of space inside
Big doors (can easily get in and out of the back seat whilst the front is occupied)
VP prop
Good short-field performance
Leaned out at FL85 she was burning a rather acceptable 27L/hr for 125kt on Sunday.