Why would somebody want to fly a Drake ship?

They are generally cheaper in terms of maintenance costs. They have fewer things on them. They have cheaper items to replace. They're often lighter and more maneuverable. And they do other things, like the Cutlass can carry a large amount of cargo. You can get a vehicle in the back of it. Other competitors can't really do that.

I think it could easily be argued that the Cutlass is probably one of the most versatile ships in the game right now.

Yeah, it's got cargo, it's got space for lots of people on board. You can solo it, you can multi-crew it. It arguably does everything.

I feel like it has a very large cargo area compared to its size.

Yeah, it's not that far off the Freelancer, which those two are always twinned in lore.