I think the fixed undercarriage made it a non-starter.
I am not disputing that fixed gear prevents FAA certification for flight in icing (I haven't read the regs, if indeed they are online, and have enough to do) but it totally amazes me.
Hard to believe that Cirrus and Lancair would have tied both hands behind their backs before they even started, making planes that are all-out long distance IFR machines, and IFR without collecting ice is a bit like letting your cat run around outside and expecting it to not poo in next door's garden.
To top it all, with a finger-up gesture to the American legalistic climate surrounding "known ice", they offer TKS. Of course, nobody will ever use the system... It's a bit like the CAA CofA inspector sticking an INOP sticker over my TKS prop on/off switch
Alluding that the Cirrus may become the V tail Bonanza of today really came from speculation about speedier types and everything happening so much faster
I don't think that's a problem really. The thing flies only 50% faster than a spamcan. Thinking 50% faster is the difference between a 20hr/year pilot and a 50hr/year pilot, perhaps. This isn't an SR71.
The problem is lack of training for flight planning for real IFR; nobody offers anything like that. Pilots have to pick it up as they go along.