Park a later-model Cirrus SR20 nose-to-nose with its big-brother SR22 and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell which is which.
And that’s a hint for why the SR20 is a good primer for flying the higher-horsepower SR22, and for many new pilots, starting in an SR20 is the better way to move up. It may never lose its trainer title, and until recently, the SR20 has been overshadowed by the SR22. But the SR20 got a boost in ego—and performance—back in 2017 when Cirrus re-engined the six-cylinder Continental-power bird with a smooth-running and efficient Lycoming IO-390. That stretched the useful load and potentially increased the engine’s TBO.