Cirrus SR22 Offers 310 hp, 183 KTAS and 1,328 lb Useful Load Versus SR20's 215 hp, 155 KTAS and 1,003 lb
Why It MattersThe roughly $183,000 factory-new gap between the two models shows how far one composite airframe is split into trainer and long-range tiers, with the SR20 positioned at flight schools.
The Cirrus SR20 and SR22 share the same composite design, cabin layout, glass avionics and Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), but differ substantially in performance. The current SR20 is powered by a 215-hp Lycoming IO-390-C3B6, while the SR22 uses a 310-hp Continental IO-550-N, giving the SR22 95 hp, or roughly 44%, more power.
Cirrus quotes a maximum cruise speed of 155 KTAS (178 mph/287 km/h) for the SR20 and 183 KTAS (211 mph/339 km/h) for the SR22. Useful load is 1,003 lb (455 kg) for the SR20 versus 1,328 lb (603 kg) for the SR22, a difference of 325 lb (147 kg). Maximum range at 55% power is 709 nm (1,313 km) for the SR20 and 1,169 nm (2,165 km) for the SR22, and maximum gross weight is 3,150 lb (1,429 kg) versus 3,600 lb (1,633 kg). Takeoff distance is 1,685 ft (514 m) for the SR20 and 1,082 ft (330 m) for the SR22, and climb rate is 781 ft/min (3.97 m/s) versus 1,270 ft/min (6.45 m/s). Both aircraft share a 17,500-ft (5,334-m) maximum operating altitude, a 49-inch (124-cm) cabin width and a 50-inch (127-cm) cabin height.
Cirrus' 2026 North American price list puts the SR20 Premium at $754,900 and the SR22 at $937,900, a factory-new difference of roughly $183,000. Hangar67 asking-price data shows an average of about $288,000 for SR20 listings (about $366,000 when later G2, G3 and G6 aircraft in the broader SR20 family are included) and about $574,000 for the SR22 family. Cirrus has developed the TRAC20, based on the SR20 platform, for professional flight training, and has supplied SR20 aircraft to United Aviate Academy.
Alternatives discussed include the Cessna 182 Skylane (145 KTAS maximum cruise, 1,110 lb useful load, 915 nm range), the Beechcraft Bonanza G36, the out-of-production Cessna TTx and the experimental Van's RV-10. In an AOPA fly-off, an RV-10 and an SR22 both reached 178 KTAS.
