Sling TSi Vs. Diamond DA40 Vs. Which Is The Better 4 Seater?

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The Diamond DA40 and the Sling Tsi are almost neck to neck in their performance and mission profile. Anyone who is considering building a Sling TSi should also consider a Diamond DA40 and vise versa.
I personally trained in the DA40 and i’ve spent a considerable amount of time in both the DA40 and Sling Tsi, this is why I though they are worth comparing. Here are the stats for each plane and the categories used for comparisons.

DIAMOND DA40
engine: 180 hp lycoming
gross weight: 2650 lbs
payload load: 600 pounds
range: 500 - 600 miles
max alt: 16400 ft
cruise speed: 130 - 140 kts
fuel burn: 10 gph
price: used 2008 - 2010 model $275,000

Sling TSi
engine: 141 hp rotax
gross weight: 2095 lbs
payload load: 745 pounds
range: 500 - 900 miles
max alt: 18000 ft
cruise speed: 150 kts
fuel burn: 8 gph
price: new model $275,000

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[barryzhang]

Good comparison. My 2005 DA 40 burns 8 GPH very consistently.

[walterjohnson]

I think acquisition time and mechanical ability are understated factors in this video. A better summary would be if you want a plane like this in a short time-frame the DA40 is the better option. Build time on the Sling is certainly many months maybe years. And what about an individuals mechanical ability? If it's not so hot, then also the DA40 is the winner. But if you are somewhat mechanically inclined and are willing to spend the time and energy to build it, then the Sling comes out ahead because you get a brand-new airplane built to your specific specs and one with better performance.

[savethedeveloper]

love the safety record of DA40 and how they built the fuel tanks aft of the wing spars. Would like to fly either plane!

[samthepilot]

As of May 08, 2020, I've became a private pilot. Thanks for your videos, they help tremendously.
I used the club route vice the local school here in Augusta, GA, significant save in $$$.
To save more $$$, I became the president of our club.
Thanks, may be we can meet someday in Ga.

[setts]

Great vid. Thank you, I agree with your conclusion. I live in South Africa, and we can buy a new factory built, certified 'plane, so no home build required and the lead time is only 3 months. So for me, the Sling is the Boss!

[hermanwan]

For the DA40, even if you have 2 average sized adults in the front seats, it’s hard to load more than 250 pounds in the back for CG limit

[philipgc]

Hi Mike
Great video and interesting comparison, however, you compared the newest model Sling TSi with the Diamond DA40 from more than 20 years ago, which is not very fair on Diamond, or the choice that someone contemplating a new aircraft is going to make.
The performance of the TAF Sling 4 was rather unremarkable, with a cruise speed of 130 KTAS and range of 700 NM, and it was not until the Sling TSi introduced flush riveting, a new wing and the turbocharged Rotax 915iS engine that it began to shine.
The Diamond DA40, that you used as a comparison, also had unremarkable performance when powered by the trusty, but archaic Lycoming IO360, certified 65 years ago, in 1955!
For the last 20 years the Diamond DA40 NG has had a turbocharged Jet-A burning Mercedes-Benz engine, first supplied by Thielert/Continental and now by Austro.
The Diamond DA40 NG wins on speed, range, fuel consumption, fuel cost, fuel availability, insurance premiums, grass strip performance and has a Tundra tyre option. For some, it will facilitate progression to the Diamond DA50 single and/or DA42 NG and/or DA62 twins.
The Diamond DA40 NG has a Maximum Continuous Power cruise speed of 154 KTAS which is faster than the Sling TSi Maximum Continuous Power cruise of 148 KTAS quoted by TAF.

The Diamond DA40 NG burns just 5.1 US GPH at 60% power of Jet-A and has a range of 948 NM against the Sling TSi range of 750 NM.
Therefore, the Diamond DA40 NG has a lower fuel burn, of a cheaper fuel and its range is 200 NM longer than the Sling TSi.
In most parts of the world, , Jet-A is half the price of MoGas and a third of the price of AvGas. Even in the USA Jet-A is the cheapest fuel although by not such a great margin.

You can buy the fully certified Diamond DA40 NG new from the factory, complete and ready to fly away, or used from Diamond or on the secondhand market.

The Sling TSi is a great experimental aircraft, which comes very close to the Diamond DA40 NG, if you have the time and skill to build a kit and maintain the aircraft yourself.

[nuke]

One of things I've found in owning an LSA (PiperSport) with a Rotax engine is that A&Ps want nothing to do with working on them. To the point of "don't even ask me to change a tire on that thing." Some of this will depend on where you live. I love flying the plane but I'm not really wanting ro be a mechanic. This comes into play when you have an issue on a cross country. You can get seriously stuck in a hurry. Anyone will work on a Lycoming. Rotax? Not so much. If not restricted to LSA I would definitely buy a certified GA aircraft.

[BrianRhodes]

I love the DA40, it's a beautiful aircraft

[HeadShave]

Mike as soon as I saw the title I was on it.. 2 of my favorites. Awesome video brother. And I’m the first today. Thanks for this comparison.. great job!

[romanticdonkey]

Then there’s the DA 40 NG with air conditioning. FADEC, turbo diesel, nearly twice the range, with half the fuel burn and a great cruise speed. Only downside is current pricing and useful load.

[therocinante]

I love your videos man, there's something about the way your voice sounds, or your mannerisms or something, that makes me watch like 10 of your videos at a time, haha

[martinrenschler]

Maybe interesting for buyers is the number of planes built of a certain kind. That influences for example your insurance rate and how easy it is to sell it second hand. Currently there are 10 SLING 4 in the US (of which 1 is a TSI) and 761 DA-40s (of which 71 are NGs). Quite a difference.

[ashokgtm]

I think its time to make new video as fuel burn and many more are updated in DA40 NG. Hope you will come up with latest current info. Love to see it.

[LarjoskiFlyingAway]

Thanks for the review. Love flying the DA40.

[navynuc]

Well done Mike. Look forward to a video on build. Good luck!!

[Tharkunify]

Thanks for putting that video together. It would also be useful to compare the wing loading and the Vne/stall speed ratio. Also, for me, the winner would be a certified factory built Sling tsi or a DA40 with a BRS. But neither is available right now.

[walterrawdanik]

To me Diamond does look at lot nicer but ultimately I would go with the Sling due to price and the fact that you can pretty much design it to your specs ( including BSR etc )

[classinstructor]

Diamonds are indestructible, I saw one hit the approach light and overshoot WITH THE LIGHT BURIED IN THE WING! Then land safely!

[andrewmgoss]

Excellent video. So glad I found your content.