When trying to decide on what coilover to go with, I found myself in a very similar situation as yours. Ultimately, I ended up going with what I wanted the most. Yes, the crosses are more money, but you get what you pay for. They offer good build quality, customer service, ride height independent of damper travel and the fact that they come with camber plates makes them a great bang for the buck IMO. Of course, I have nothing bad to say about KW or M7 as I have tried neither, but seriously considered both, until I found the crosses on sale right at 2k.
Ultimately it all depends on what you want out of the car. I took Ryephile's advice very seriously on this matter. If I wanted the ultimate in street comfort combined with the ablility to go as low as I want (aprox 2 inches) then I would have chosen the KW V1's. I was however willing to give up some comfort and noise in favor of superb handling. I love my Cross coilover, but it's a good thing that I'm not much of a talker when I'm driving
