If you can afford it go for the Raven II, bit more power, NO CARB HEAT to worry about all the time,better in auto's (i believe they have slightly wider blades..correct me if i'm wrong...).
Overall i belive it handles a little bit better that Raven I. But dont get me wrong, both are great so what ever you're gonna get..happy flying!!
I have over 200h in 44's never had a problem, regarding the start of the Raven II check for the relevant thread in this forum.........
H-M