I agree; a
TBM850 is about $3.2M plus extras which is a lot, but it is a quality piece of hardware.
But you can buy a used good condition TBM700 with a fresh engine for say $1.5M, and you get everything in between.
My guess is the Cirrus jet will be $2M. The Mustang is $2.7M or so. $2M will get you a nice TBM. If you want to go "downmarket" then a brand new Jetprop will be $1.5M.
It's an interesting question how many piston twin owners would move to a SE of any kind. They appear happy to pay a hefty premium for the 2nd engine; presumably for strong reasons of their own. But all those I know don't appear to have $2M or anything remotely like that, to play with.
I think the market for a SE jet would be SE TP owners, mainly.
But there are so many variables it seems. The other day I was talking to a chap who sells and maintains this stuff and he said a King Air 90 will cost less to run than a TBM850, total operating cost (excluding fuel and Eurocontrol charges) for the first 10 years. This really suprised me. A KA90 has 2 motors which has a lot of value to certain parts of the market.
In Europe (which admittedly is not going to a major Cirrus priority) a ME TP or any jet will have a problem under EASA OPS in that it will need a dual (FAA A&P/IA or 145-RS
plus EASA Part M) maintenance signoff, which is sure to inflate costs a bit. Whereas an SE TP doesn't need that - I am sure Socata and Pilatus "sorted this out" under the table at EASA to clobber their US competition
