"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Um, well, they sure *look* the same as the old 182s.

I've read that they've cleaned up the airframe some, but the engine and prop
are still the same -- and the gross weight has gone up.

These are usually indications of a performance *decrease*, but maybe Cessna
has pulled some kind of magic?

Um, well, the engine and prop are not the same. Cessna replaced the
Continental O-470, with a Lycoming IO-540, which eliminates the carb heat
and the premature top overhauls, and provides better fuel economy. (I never
burn more than 11.5 GPH compared to 12-13 for many older 182s.)