First riding mower - thinking Cub Cadet XT2 with Kawasaki?

I was just recently given the go-ahead by the Mrs (don't judge, happy wife - happy life, as one friend says :laughing:) to purchase my first riding lawn mower for this upcoming season. I have only owned a couple walk-behinds and have never really loved either of them. They both had minor issues here and there, so I have no brand loyalty whatsoever.



That being said, after all my searching and reading reviews, reports, opinions, and so on, I believe I have arrived at one of the new Cub Cadet models, specifically the XT2 LX42 with the Kawasaki engine. I have just over a third of an acre to mow, with some very light sloping in a couple parts, so I don't need anything huge.



So, my primary question is, at the price point I'm looking at for the XT2 42" with the Kawasaki engine - $1799, is there something else comparable in another brand that I should also be considering? So far nothing else has stood out to me. And I'll be honest and say that I'm pretty sold on this mower, but I don't have anything to go on aside from the reviews I've read and the specs I'm comparing. I will say that I believe every neighbor I have has a John Deere of various sorts. I may get some funny looks on the first mow of the season when I pull out something that's not green and yellow, but honestly I don't feel as impressed or confident in a similarly priced JD, based solely on reviews I've read.



Secondly, I just wanted to get some confirmation that my wanting the Kawasaki engine is the definite way to go. In most everything I've read, it seemed like it was the obvious choice over the Kohler 7000 motor for $100 less. Again though, this is all fairly new to me.



Thanks in advance for any advice or info that might help!