rimoabdallah, unlike some of the other people on this thread I have flown both types! I fly an aircraft with a MTOW of 490kg around Europe 2 up on a regular basis and I have owned a 172. The SportsCruiser is however my least favorite aircraft in the class. It has a very low wing loading (much more important than the actual weight) and its handling, especially in turbulence, is very poor. Go 172, but do not consider the lighter end toys, I can do far more with my MCR than I could in my 180hp 4 seater.
Rod1