I'm a Malibu guy. I've been working with them since 2008ish. I've had 2 VLX, Both MXZ (22&24) and for 2015, I got my first LSV. I can't speak for other manufacturers, but I can speak for Malibus and why I love the LSV
Why I got a 15 LSV
It is the top selling V-Drive boat in the world across all manufacturers and wakesurfers love it. I'm a wakeboarder and I loved my MXZs. The MXZ wakes are hard-hitting and I couldn't imagine giving up all of the bow room of the pickle-fork bow. I really got talked into the LSV by SMG. I've been in recovery mode all season and thought: "Why not go with the popular boat for a few months and sell it fast when I'm healthy." Also, they had a color scheme I really liked and I do like the look of a traditional bow boat, so what the heck.
Why I have a 16 LSV on order
The LSV is a comfortable boat. It is really well balanced when sitting in the water, I'm able to keep my butt in the seat without the riser and drive for hours. The surf wave is better beind the LSV (stock) than the MXZ and the wakeboard wake is different, but surprisingly just as big and maybe a little friendlier at lower speeds. In the end, I like them equally. and if I had to assign a 1-10, they'd both be 11s, but they take two different routes to get there. The MXZ is a boat of extremes. The lines of the boat are extreme, the bow is extreme, the wakeboard wake is extreme (Big, Thick, steep at the top, etc). The LSV performs at an 11 across the board. The LSV performs really well without weakness.
One thing that impressed me most between 14 and 15 (not across models) was the improvement of the electronics. The bluetooth is now a 0 step process once set up. The lifting wedge, speed and surfgates all work together like I imagined they always should. The new wedge is way under hyped. I can get my boat on plane faster slammed with the wedge than without. You feel it forcing the nose down.
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