Any of you who have read my last couple of threads know that I have been agonizing over the trade of my flawless 2013 Conquest for a new 2017 Prestige EFI. About an hour ago, I drove the new Prestige off my trailer. We are having thunderstorms all around the area, so I figured that I would wait until I used the machine to give a "first impressions" review. Unfortunately, when I turned the key (yes, a key...no push button start) and backed it down the ramp, I realized that the dark clouds coming at me were to be the first to arrive. My fuel gauge was blinking the cautionary "empty" signal, so I thought..."I'll just try it out quick!"In about 25 minutes, I had been able to mow the larger side of my yard. This normally takes about 40 minutes. Better yet, I can normally mow my lawn just over twice with a full tank of gas...perhaps 2-1/3 times. I mowed half of the lawn with the gas gauge blinking near empty.My 2013 Conquest had a 27HP (old rating system) 724cc Briggs Professional Series motor with EFM and push button start. To start it, I would push the start button once to turn on the digital dash and then wait until the tachometer had settled back to zero. With the throttle at full, I would then push and hold the button for a two or three engine cranks and it started, every time. It worked perfectly.My 2017 Prestige has a 27HP (new rating) 810cc Vanguard Commercial series Cyclonic intake motor with a key start. It starts just like a car. Turn the key and hold it for about one revolution and it fires. It also works flawlessly, but quicker than the older motor. This new motor has a deeper growl than the Conquest's motor did.At low throttle, the Conquest idled at 2,000 RPM and at full throttle it sat at 3,600 RPM. The Prestige idles at 1,800 RPM, but only sat at about 3,300 RPM at full throttle when I started. After roughly 1/2 hour of running, this rose to about 3,400 RPM. The motor smells a bit. I am guessing that it is tight and breaking in. I am hoping to see RPMs rise after a few more hours of use. The Prestige is quieter at idle, but noisier at WOT...at least it is right now. After break-in, hopefully this improves also. It runs very smoothly. Oil and filter will get changed at about 5 hours of use. Mobil1 10W-30 will be the fluid of choice.The Conquest had the K66 (non-high speed...top speed was like 5.3 MPH) and it was very quiet. The Prestige has the K72 High Speed, and right now is sort of noisy...it whines when starting out. This is new to me. I have read that synthetic 5W-50 helps this a lot. We shall see in about 30-50 hours, when I change it out. The Prestige is MUCH faster than the Conquest. I did not think I would use the speed...more on that in a bit!The Conquest had the 50" deep profile stamped deck. It cut better than anything I had ever seen before. I was quite nervous about changing decks. The 52" Ferris fabbed deck seems to cut exactly the same as the 50" did, even on my very rough lawn. So far, the clippings look to be smaller and blown farther and the deck is nearly perfectly clean on top. Right now, with a half-hour of cutting under my belt, I would say that the 52" cuts just as well, but cuts faster, finer and disperses better. One thing...the electric height adjustment on the 52" deck seems to be slower than the one on the 50". The Ferris deck is MUCH beefier than the Simplicity stamped deck...not just the metal size, but ALL of the components. The rollers are bigger. the lift mechanisms and hangers are much heavier. the spindles are much heavier duty. It is just plain very well built. If cut quality changes in the future, I will let both you and the dealer know!My Conquest was a rigid frame. the Prestige has the 4 corner suspension. there is a strange feel to the machine when starting or stopping. The ride on the Prestige is not perfectly smooth, but when compared to the rigid ride of the Conquest, it is a huge improvement. I probably mowed 50% faster than I ever did with the Conquest, and the ride was nicer, even at the higher speed. I will be mowing faster from now on! The suspension works well. Not perfectly smooth, but much better!The Prestige has hydraulic lift. I like not having the big lever on the left side anymore. It also has a tilt steering wheel. It's a nice feature that I don't think I will need to mess with.The Prestige has power steering. It definitely works and is easier to steer than the Conquest. Not a deal breaker if I did not have it...but perhaps, just maybe...the power steering may have also aided in the very quick mow time on this first half of the yard.I looked at these machines at several "local" dealers. The price for the EFI Prestige was high and the trade value of my Conquest was low. I can not say enough about Nathan from Persha Equipment in Mayville, WI. Two of you on the forum recommended them. He gave me an excellent price on the Prestige, a very fair price for a trade of the Conquest, was knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with. All in all, he made this upgrade better than I could have ever hoped!Feel free to ask questions. It is raining here right now, so I will most likely settle in to reading the manuals.