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I own a hawk xp, so thought i'd put my two cents in, in no particular order. As with any plane, whether it is "good" or not depends on your mission.
Yes, it is more expensive to own and operate than a simple 172, but less than a 182, so I think it does fill the gap nicely.
I have the 210 hp stc and the climb rate makes me smile on every single takeoff. When I get to cruise altitude I pull the power back and get cruise speeds and fuel burn similar to a normal 172. And being fuel injected it maintains it's climb rate, I've been up to 17,500 (density altitude about 19000) and it was still slowly climbing. Yes, I was lightly loaded and using oxygen. Not that we ever have any reason to get that high but it does give you some confidence when flying around colorado's 14000 foot peaks. So for summertime in the mountains it is a great airplane.
I have about 20 hours in a cardinal rg, and I wouldn't say it's better or worse than the hawk xp- two vastly different animals. The cardinal is great for long trips and that's all i know about that. Ok, theres' my opinion.
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