There is no one best airplane. Everything about aviation is a compromise. There are however lots of great airplanes. Here is my list of great GA S/E airplanes in no particular order:
C-182,182RG,210, PA-28-235, PA-32-300 300R (no T-tails) BE-33/35/36, SR-22, RV-4,6,7,8,10.
There are a...