Some people I know who are short but with relatively long legs have problems with seeing out of 172s properly (i.e. due to low eye height), whereas they don't seem to have much problem with Cherokees. On the other hand those at the similar height but with short legs don't seem to have problems with seeing out of 172s but have issues with achieving a full rudder deflection. So it's not just the height but the length of body/legs that need to be taken into account.
Ergonomic issues affect performance, so I would recommend shorties to try out the aircraft for fit.