I have owned my Hustler Sport for 2 years now. It's the 42" deck, Honda GXV 530 configuration. My lawn is a challenging 2 acres of rolling hills and obstacles which includes a 60' long 15 degree slope in the front that is over 250' across. My prior mower was a Scag 48" walk behind with a 17HP Kawasaki.
I choose the Hustler Sport for it's build quality and compact design. The frame, deck, blade speed and components are are a step up from the more popular residential choices in this class. The Scaq Freedom is a quality machine but I simply had no place to store it. Same for the Exmark Quest.
The Sport's low center of gravity is a big advantage. It's extremely manuverable and stable. Cut quality is as good as my Scag. At my time of purchase, the Kawasaki was not an option ... but I have been impressed by the Honda's performance and would buy the same configuration again today. It's smooth, fast, is never bogged down by tall wet grass, and powers up the hills.
There has been alot writen about zero turns and hills, so here's my experience. The hill in front of my house is an extra challenge because it faces south. It's also has a concave curve in the center. So it's 15 degrees overall, and about 18 degrees at the steepest point. Both the top and bottom are flat. The grass can easily be burned out by the sun by mid summer if you attempt to always mow in the same direction. Heavier commercial riders would destroy the grass on this hill.
The recommended cut is across the hill. The Sport can cover this 250' run without slipping, although in the steepest section I'm pushing hard on the foot rests and leaning into the hill to avoid sliding on the seat. Cutting straight up and down the hill is actually easier... and I know, not recommended. The flat areas on the top and bottom of my hill and Sport's low center of gravity make this possible. The Sport acceleration up the hill is stable and impressive. The trip down the hill is more of a challenge. You need to start slow and go down no more than 10 degrees off center. Beyond that point, the Hydros can release. In my case, with the flat area at the bottom, it's not an issue. To keep sun related damage on the hill to a minimum, I vary direction every cut.
I highly recommend the Sport. If you have an application with a hill steeper than mine, you should consider a model with the heavier duty hydros. The Hustler FasTrac uses the ZT-3100s which have 50% more wheel torque.