The other models (6,7) will do everything within a knot or two of what the 8 will do except give perhaps give you the ?fighter pilot? look/vibe/savoir faire you may be looking for when the prop comes to a stop in front of the crowd outside of the FBO in Podunk, USA.
I mulled this over for a while before I bought, and while I enjoyed the sleek lines of the 8, when I asked the girlfriend I?ve been married to for the last 40 years what her thoughts were, she far preferred sitting beside...vs behind.
Putting her back there in an 8...while appealing to my P-51 Markedly-Long-of-Tooth-Fighter-Pilot-Walter-Mitty urges...would likely also definitely reduce her enthusiastic approach towards jumping in and hitting the road with me in it (one of my major ambitions for us with this purchase.)
Anecdotally, I?ve heard it?s also harder to keep the heat on back there for pax in the wintertime. A definite downer for being on the road with her.
Finally, with a pax back there the handling can definitely be affected...putting a 200 pounder back there for a demo flight will put the CG to a point where you need to mind things a bit more assertively...still a pussycat, but it bears watching.
I found a low-time, very well built 7, bought it, and have never looked back at the purchase with an ounce of regret. She loves our magic carpet, the trips it allows us to take and the places we go. She was right...side by side makes conversation and sharing sights on the ground as the world spins by much easier...Her name for our RV? Her ?Private Jet?!
Just another POV to make your choice more difficult...either way, whichever you choose you will greatly enjoy it!
Regards,
Rob S.