My first plane after I got my ticket was a 2007 T182T. It was a great plane. I have no complaints. It is front heavy. I sold it(I was getting too busy to fly regularly) and after a hiatus of about a year or so was missing flying, and my personal situation changed. After looking at numerous plane models I decided a 206 was my best option and bought a 2009 T206H. This plane has a number of upgrades over my 182, and many 206's but what made me choose a 206 was I do a lot of bicycling, and can barely fit one bike into a 182, and in the 206 can fit two bikes and assorted luggage. My 206 is float ready(though have no intention of putting on floats), has huge tundra tires (and so no wheel pants), vortex generators, copilot(passenger) door, air conditioning(which even in Florida I barely use), and a number of other upgrades. With the increased drag because of the tires, it is no faster than the 182(though it burns about 20% more fuel), and is slightly more difficult to land in that the front fork is so large the plane points upward when level on the ground. As for flight characteristics, I think they are the same.
In my mind, the choice should be based on your mission. If you need the extra cargo space, then the 206 is the way to go, otherwise you are wasting your money to buy the 206 and better off with the 182.