Why I like the Alliance Crusader. 

This ship gets a fair amount of apathy, or even hate, but here's just a quick demonstration, against some engineered pirate NPCs, of why I prefer the Alliance Crusader over either of the other two Medium Alliance ships. She has a massive advantage over them. Namely, a portable tank.
You don't have to be good at combat, but you can rank up a buddy who gets extremely good at it and can keep most of the attention off you. :) No she isn't as fast or agile, but she doesn't have to be. Perfect for someone who isn't confident in combat but also doesn't want to be sat behind the stick of a massive battleship. Let your crew earn their share!
She's cheap, but efficient. Build used in this video: s.orbis.zone/cy8w