Glad I bought my Raptor last year!

I bought a Raptor 42" last year with a military discount making it a pretty good bargain. It has been a great mower and a joy to use. One thing I have always been comfy with is the Kawasaki engine as it runs & sounds great. Just noticed that the 42" & 52" Raptors now come with Kohler 7000 engines. While they may be good engines, I wonder if they are as good as the Kawasaki engines? Looking at the prices of the motors separately, it is huge.
I did have a Kohler in my Cub Cadet and after 10 years never spent a dime on it so no hate there. Loud-arse motor though.

Is this likely just a cost cutting change?