Mostly happy with my Cub Cadet XT2 LX 42 Enduro which I bought new at $2000, year and a half ago. Since then they have gone up $500. Are you sure you need a 54 inch deck? The XT1-ST54 KH would do, but the 54 inch fab deck adds another 1K to the price.
I have a few complaints after using mine for a year and 1/2.
The turn radius is fantastic, yet this also creates a weakness, in that if you catch a wheel on a tight turn, it will break a tooth off the steering gear. Most garden tractors of this size have the same weak design - MTD tractors. Takes about two hours to replace this $40 gear.
It is a thirsty machine. Not sure how I would quantify gas usage.... GPH, or MPG, but it will run through 3 gallons in about an hour at full throttle. This might be typical, but to me it "feels" like a gas hog.
The differential to the XT2 is not limited slip. This is very surprising for a tractor that supposedly can be used for snow removal. On some of my slopes I can't mow if the ground is at all wet.
To paint a very wide brush: Garden class tractors, now, are all the same, with only a few differentiating features.