I recently compared the E8 to the Saeco Royal Deluxe which is mechanically identical to the Gaggia. I preferred the style of the E8 but the Gaggia/Saeco has it hands down on features.
The features that convince me were the removable brew group, the greater flexibility of programming (ability to adjust water dose - so I can make ristrettos) as well as the more heavy duty nature of the Saeco/Gaggia line.
I'm no expert but I've talked to a few and they've all agreed that the Gaggia/Saeco is the better machine.
I found it enjoyable and informative looking at a machine that is best for me. In Fully Automatics(Supers) I think the Jura(actually just purchased the S7) is best because it has the highest brewing temperature of all super automatics. After reading info from various manufactures I called a couple experts to get more informed. From my study the high end manual machines are the best but for experts, the Jura is for coffee lovers who want the best coffee with out the time and work of a high end manual machine.