I am 175cm, so hopefully should be OK :)
I am 175cm too and I was perfectly OK in G1 TB20 with sufficient headroom.
I would guess your DA42 rotates at higher speed than most SEPs.
72 kts and POH also says 10-25% longer ground run for grass but average grass runway is always full of bumps and small pots that always slow you down more than grass itself. Add wet grass and soft ground and you easily get 50% increase or more.
much easier to get in and out of.
It’s hard to believe there’s an easier way to get in and out than through gull wing door.
1000lbs UL unless carelessly modified.
Which is less than TB20.
Will carry same or more load than a comparable TB20 for the same range
No way.
but the TB20 will fly further.
Oh yes.
Dont get the 50USG models, get the later 60USG fuel cap.
Even 60 USG is incomparable with TB20’s 84 USG.
Here’s what a Cardinal looks like to somebody about to get in. For some people it’s very beneficial. The only issue is the huge doors tend to blow in the wind.
20 gallons plus reserve would actually be quite comparable to 84 gallons if you don’t plan to fly more than 2 hrs and it’s behind a four cylinder O-360. The exception to that is if you want to fly 2 hrs out and 2 hrs back, to a place that doesn’t have fuel, in which case 40 gallons plus reserve (50 gallons) would be fine.
800 lbs useful load is just as good as 1000 lbs when carrying 600 lbs, possibly better because you might go a little faster with a smaller wing.
I think it’s all about choosing the right tool for your particular job. My choice for the OPs job would not provide excess capability because if you won’t actually use that capability, less is more.
(Disclosure: double bias, because I fly a TB20 and almost got a C177, it lacked an AP, relevant for me for travel)
When travelling in Europe, proper tank size can make a big difference in cost of flying. You can use low cost places and avoid extra stops for refuelling.
With a price spread currently from 2.50-2.60 (EDLB, EDQK,LOLS, LJPZ*), many places around 3.xx/L, up to 3.99/L (EHLE), range is a key factor (my experience).
(There are also Belgrade and Skopje, but not regularly on my routes ;-) )
boscomantico wrote:
the wheels are still small, so it isn‘t good for soft fields.
I have flown the 177RG quite a lot in grass. While it does not excel, it is doable due to its relatively low weight, big flaps and slotted stabilator. For forum tidiness, I posted further here.
The 177RG is no TB20 and with 50 fewer hp will not climb as well or go as far, more of a 140KTAS vs 150KTAS normal cruise, but other than ice capability (if the TB20 has TKS) , it is as capable and more economical for trips under 650NM.
Emir wrote:
Add wet grass and soft ground and you easily get 50% increase or more.
No doubt, but grass runways generally don’t have to be soft (or bumpy) and if the grass is cut short it matters little if it is wet. With more than 10 cm of grass, it is of course a different story.
I had a look at the three TB20s listed. Can’t see anything obviously wrong with any of them. One prebuy item would be to check TKS works, on the two TKS ones; I know for sure a lot of TKS systems are basically never used and these won’t work until something is done to fix them, and that can be a bit of work if not used for years.
It’s a bit of a mix since probably the best-condition one, 1999, doesn’t have TKS, but you don’t need TKS for flying around in nice wx.
The IFD540 one looks best and the TKS looks the more recent titanium-panel one. High price, €189k. But AT are known to start high 
The TKS one with the GI275 looks good.
GI275 with bugs
I thought I’d never see a pre-GT for 200k…
