The Element V in the article sounds promising if it proves to be correct, I wonder if it will be of similar footprint for mounting and input pulley location if indeed manufacturers begin to move in that direction, would make it a bolt on swap.
That said I think the K46 in my XT2 should hold up well as it only takes me 1/2 hr to cut the grass (used to take 45 min. with a 30" RER) and in the fall when the temps are in the 50's the trans is only warm to the touch.
The biggest things I think with the issues some have with the K46 (and other light duty hydros) is I've seen reviews of people using them on "2 hilly acres" and hauling firewood up inclines, etc. 2 acres with any 42 or 50" light duty mower is way too much, the hours will add up quick so you only have a 3 year old mower with blown trans but hundreds of hours. For that much land IMO a 50-60" semi commercial ZTR or a true GT are the only ways to ensure that you'll get good life out of the machine.
lastly I'm not crazy about the Sintered iron diff gears in these small hydros, some times the bevel gears strip out and then it looks like the hydro failed. The diff gears are not expensive to replace but now you have to break open the case to swap them out.
