Phillip:
So long as your mission does not change, the SR20 is fine.
However, my flights frequently include Ashland, Oregon; Newport, Oregon; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Duluth, Minnesota, Sedona, Arizona, etc.
I have also done Angel Flights to South Lake Tahoe, California, Fresno, California and Ashland, Oregon (part of a two leg flight that was originally intended to meet at Medford, Oregon).
All of these flights involve relatively high terrain. While there may be ways to do some of these flights in an SR20, some are clearly not possible.
In addition, the extra power of the SR22 will get you out of situations that may be dangerous in an SR20. Whether it is mountain wave conditions or high terrain, I can recall a number of situations in which I was thankful for every one of those 310 hp up there.
I would suggest looking at a pre-PFD SR22. If you don’t have the Cirrus Pilot that just arrived, call the COPA office and see if they can send you one. That issue has lots of information on the exact history of all changes to the SR20 and SR22 over the years and another article on what prices you can expect to see on various aircraft.
I would stay away from any plane with an Arnav MFD or a Century HSI. I have one of the early SR22s that has the Sandel EHSI and the Avidyne. I have added the engine monitor as well as the Ryan TCAD and a Garmin 396. The Sandel has never given me any problems. I have replaced the bulb as required but it has always been there.
I would also strongly urge adding a Garmin 496 to the aircraft. There are more mounting options available on the pre-PFD aircraft. I have a “bolster mount” that puts the Garmin in a good position.
If the price delta is something you can live with I would strongly advise the SR22.
I originally ordered an SR20 when there was no SR22. When I found out about the SR22 (and a $10K incentive from CD) I bought the SR22. My decision was that in southern California there is high terrain both north and east.
If your plane is for commuting only CRQ-SMO, go with the SR20. Otherwise, I would go with the SR22.