I bought a 197 purely because I could, I work in the motor trade and got one cheap with even cheaper finance... it was rude not to at the time.
There were a few things I wasn't so keen on, like the ride height and the lack of torque... so addressed these issues with a remap and coilovers.
Personally, as a car I think the 197 is much better, NOT FASTER... Just a nicer car to live with day-to-day, and now mine seems to be a bit of a head-turner.
Fuel ecconomy is poorer this is a fact, but then I drove my 172/182's just as hard so ecconomy was never good.
If my financial situation changed I'd definately go back to a 182, but until then I'll enjoy my 197 for what it is