Tbh, they are all different, french build tollerances are shocking, some cups do decent power, so do some normal 172s, just like the fabled 130bhp 106 gti's/saxo vts' ... just depends on whether its a monday morning or friday afternoon car tbh.
Fact is, the cup was built as a stripped down lightweight model, to maximise the potential of the 172. It did that, all the reviews said it did, all the owners say it does. Different things appeal to different people. To some they arent worth the extra hassle, to some they are, horses for courses, etc. I liked it because it was like an old school hatch, ie it was harder to drive on the limit, the 182 i had could be driven fast by any old tool tbh, not fun in my eyes.
The guy who bought my 172 cup from me 'classicsheepflavour' also had a normal 172. He said mine 'felt' far quicker than his did. Shame he's not on here that much as im sure he could offer some input; he had both of them for about 3 months!! Used the normal one for the commute & the cup for fun at the weekends ...