Basically, a new 2004 Cessna 182 will compete favorably with a Cirrus
SR-22,
but for about $50,000 less.

Hmmm. I don't know what you consider "competing favorably", but the specs
sure look weighted in favor of the Cirrus:

Cruise Speed
Skylane: 141 knots
Cirrus: 180 knots

Maximum Range
Skylane: 550 nm (697 nm with optional extra fuel tanks)
Cirrus: 1000+ nm

Climb Rate
Skylane: 980 fpm
Cirrus: 1400 fpm

The only parameters the Skylane wins are for takeoff & landing distances:

Takeoff over 50' Obstacle
Skylane: 1205 ft
Cirrus: 1575 ft

Landing over 50' Obstacle
Skylane: 1350 ft.
Cirrus: 2325 ft

(The Cessna website seems to be down, so I used
http://www.risingup.com/planespecs/ for Skylane performance data. Cirrus
data is off their website.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"