182 feeling cramped.

[RyanB]

after I made that post I got to thinking that I read somewhere along the way that they eliminated (what I believe is) the most important one...and also that maybe that you can install one aftermarket??

Under the belly, below the fuel selector.

Water is heavier than gas and this is the low spot of the system, at least on mine it's the low spot. So where is water most likely to be?

Maybe on the later ones they mounted the gascolator far lower to compensate. Mine's a good 4" above the belly level.

C’mon Tim! You’ve gotta know this stuff man!

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

Having been in an original VW Beetle every Sunday for many years (off to church with the neighbors!) I used to describe the interior of a 172 as much narrower than that. In fact, the VeeDub is four or five inches wider in the front seats than a "modern" 182, and several inches more in terms of rear seat width. The Cessna (either Skylane or Skyhawk) wins in legroom and headroom.
The Commanders are nice in terms of space, but you trade one thing for another (space for speed, etc.)

My RV-9A feels about like a Lotus Elise...a few inches between my right shoulder and pax's left. Cozy, but comfy, even for a couple of 200-lb-plus guys from CA to OSH. The bubble canopy makes it feel like you've got unlimited head room, so no sense of claustrophobia at all.