The defining high-performance-single rivalry: the modern, parachute-equipped SR22 against the refined six-seat Bonanza.
The winner grid makes the SR22 look dominant because it is quicker, longer legged, carries more realistic payload and avoids retractable-gear training. That is useful evidence, but it does not measure why owners still choose a Bonanza: cabin feel, control harmony, build quality and the experience of a traditional high-performance single. The sixth seat is not permission to load six adults, and the Cirrus fifth seat is subject to the same discipline. Choose CAPS, automation and easier market liquidity if the aeroplane is a transport tool. Choose the G36 only if you have flown both and the way it flies is part of the mission.
The table below uses the same versioned PlaneFit dataset as the Finder. Prices and operating costs are planning estimates, not quotations.
| Decision factor | Cirrus SR22 G7+View aircraft profile | Beechcraft Bonanza G36View aircraft profile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical market year | 2026 | 2023 |
| Estimated purchase | €814k | €1.09m |
| Annual cash cost at 80 h | €67k | €55k |
| Five-year cash outlay | €1.15m | €1.36m |
| Cruise speed | 183 kt | 176 kt |
| Advertised range | 1169 nm | 930 nm |
| Seats | 5 | 6 |
| Realistic payload | 448 kg | 356 kg |
| Runway need | 569 m | 583 m |
| Landing gear | Fixed tricycle | Retractable tricycle |
| Ratings and endorsements | None beyond the certificate | Complex airplane endorsement |
| Data confidence | Normalized for direct comparison | Normalized for direct comparison |
| Main trade-off | Fast, capable and highly marketable, but acquisition cost, CAPS calendar events and insurance are substantial. | Fast, refined and highly respected, but six seats are mainly a cabin-size claim once fuel and baggage are considered. |
A factual first pass. Mission, condition and configuration can outweigh a brochure advantage.
They do not cross. The Cirrus SR22 G7+ is the cheaper of the two at every utilisation from zero to 300 hours a year, on purchase and running cost together, so there is no break-even point to find. That is worth knowing plainly: on cost alone this is not a trade-off, and the case for the other aircraft has to be made on mission, cabin, speed or access rather than on eventual savings.
| Five-year cash, including purchase | Cirrus SR22 G7+ | Beechcraft Bonanza G36 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 h / year | $1.17m (€1.08m) | $1.42m (€1.31m) | $247k (€229k) to Cirrus SR22 G7+ |
| 100 h / year | $1.28m (€1.18m) | $1.5m (€1.39m) | $225k (€208k) to Cirrus SR22 G7+ |
| 200 h / year | $1.46m (€1.35m) | $1.65m (€1.53m) | $187k (€173k) to Cirrus SR22 G7+ |
The gap narrows as utilisation rises, which is the part a headline price comparison hides. Every figure uses the same planning model as the rest of the site: indicative market prices, a fixed annual base and a direct hourly cost, before financing, depreciation and tax.
Advertised range is a still-air, best-case number. With 4 people aboard and realistic reserves, plan on about 783 nm from the Cirrus SR22 G7+ against 623 nm from the Beechcraft Bonanza G36. On a return trip without refuelling, that is the radius that decides which destinations are on the list at all.
Against the 28,815 airports in the PlaneFit database that publish a runway length, the Cirrus SR22 G7+ has enough runway at 25,403 of them and the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 at 25,146, comparing each aircraft’s take-off requirement of 1,867 ft and 1,913 ft against the longest runway on the field.
This is a planning comparison, not a statement that any particular operation is legal or advisable. It ignores surface, slope, elevation, temperature, obstacles and how heavily the aircraft is loaded, all of which extend the requirement. It also compares take-off distance only: landing distance is frequently the binding constraint and PlaneFit does not hold approved landing distances, so a field in these counts is not necessarily a field you can get back out of, or into.
The Beechcraft Bonanza G36 requires a complex airplane endorsement that the Cirrus SR22 G7+ does not. That is training time and instructor cost before the first trip, and insurers normally attach minimum-hours conditions to the same requirement, which is where it shows up again in the running cost. US requirements under 14 CFR 61.31, stated for orientation rather than as advice.
Five-seat high-performance personal transport. Its central ownership trade-off is: Fast, capable and highly marketable, but acquisition cost, CAPS calendar events and insurance are substantial.
Planning snapshot: $879k (€814k) indicative price and $73k (€67k) annual cash cost at 80 hours.
Read the full aircraft profileSix-seat high-performance personal transport. Its central ownership trade-off is: Fast, refined and highly respected, but six seats are mainly a cabin-size claim once fuel and baggage are considered.
Planning snapshot: $1.18m (€1.09m) indicative price and $59k (€55k) annual cash cost at 80 hours.
Read the full aircraft profile