My hubby just bought me a Pfaff 4.0 Creative Expression for my birthday in June and I LOVE IT!! I've had Pfaff's for 30 years and wouldn't get another machine as you just can't compete with Pfaff's IDT. I also love the auto pressure foot lift feature, makes turning curves so easy and doing machine applique. So many wonderful features: easy threading, easy bobbin winding, great auto thread tension; 10 inch inside arm.
I did look at a few other machines including the Bernina--it was 3+ times more expensive and the biggest drawback (besides the huge ticket price) is the fact that the Bernina computer takes almost 10 minutes to warm up and turn on to actually use. That wait would drive me crazy.