Jonathan wrote:

One thing that really encourages me is the dual vaccum pumps on the
172R.

That's a feature I like too.

But a lot depends upon the avionics in both planes if you're drawing a
comparison. IFR-certified GPS, for example, would be an improvement over
your handheld for IFR operations (but keep the hand-held as a backup).

Autopilot?

Another feature I like very much in the newer Cessnas are the nav/coms. The
nav side has different modes, one of which includes the ability to display
the current FROM or TO bearing. No futzing around with OBS-twisting; the
digits are there for you to see.

Two NAVs set up this way with a decent angle between the VORs in question,
and it's almost as good as a GPS for position awareness. It also provides
more warning of an intercept than just waiting for the needle to move.

Finally, the CDI mode permits one to have CDIs for Nav 1, Nav 2, and the GPS
concurrently.

- Andrew