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2014 22 MxZ or 2015 Axis T23


wakesettergreen

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Hi all

Coming back to Malibu after a "straying" a few years and have two boats from our local dealer that I am looking at. A leftover 2014 Loaded 22 Mxz with a 409 or a 2015 loaded T23 with a 350. The price difference is about 4K and I love the size and look of the Axis but the higher end fit and finish and extras of the MXZ is hard to ignore. Resale is a factor as well as we usually only keep boats for a couple years. Any input would be appreciated.

Cheers

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I was under the same impression as you... the fit and finish wouldn't equal Malibu. I was sadly mistaken. I have been super impressed with my T22. Personally, I say get the T23 and use the 4K to get a Z5. As for resale, my dealer says he can't get enough Axis to sell - new or used.

Edited by bamabonners
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If it was me, it would be a no brainer...T23 all the way. Absolutely love my T22 and the simplicity that comes with it!

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I say T23. The new gear ratio is awesome as well. 350 will be great. Take them both on a water test with some extra weight . T23 will not disappoint. Don't think you can go wrong either way. I agree with the Z5 comment as well. I love this option on my boat.

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The z5 is great until you don't want to have your bimini up...good luck trying to take off the canvas top on the water. Near impossible... Plus it's a head banger for taller people and not great for towing. I had one for three years on a previous boat, there are some drawbacks to them. You do get to put a few surfboarfs on them for storage. After having both bimini styles, I would go for extra set of upper board racks with a stowable bimini.

I would look hard at the mxz, it's a killer boat with ample space. Awesome wakeboard wake and a good surf wave. There is a noticeable difference in power from the 350 to the 409. The Axis line has stepped up interior but not on par with malibu fit and finish. And Axis has plastic scattered all over that boat along with no power wedge which does play a factor in wake shaping capabilities. Imo, and apple and orange when you are talking fit and finish between the two. Not taking away from the T23 it is a great value based boat, but would be tough to walk away from a mxz for near same price.

All things to consider with your decision. Demo them both...

  • Like 2
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Crew size is usually around 5, probably 40% Surf, 30%wake and the rest towing kid skiers etc. No tow rig as we live on the lake so boats stays off the trailer till fall.

Thanks for all the advice so far, T23 probably is the better boat for our needs, just hard to ignore some of the Malibu extra's. Plus in Canada with the dollar drop, the 2015 are about 25 to 30K more then this leftover 2014.

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Wow, tough choice. You never said which was $4k more though... We love our T22 but as someone else said above the Malibu warranty is definitely longer/better. The prices were nowhere close between Axis/Malibu when we were shopping otherwise we may have had a tough decision to make between the two. The T23 is massive, but for your size crew I'm sure the 22MXZ would be fine as well. I'm not a big fan of the picklefork bow and the Axis is a year newer...so I'd probably still choose the Axis over Malibu however I've got to be honest that I wish the warranty was longer on such an expensive purchase. We've had no issues, *knock on wood*, and hope to keep the boat many years but for peace of mind a 5 year warranty or something is definitely appealing.

Edited by That Guy
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If it was between an A22 and MXZ Id say no contest MXZ. The T23 you get a bit more boat but its very utilitarian. Id still give the nod to the MXZ i think. Nicest interior of the entire malibu line. You would also get the 6.0 which is a better engine than the 350.

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Fman, I really have to disagree with you on one point - fit and finish between the two. I have been very impressed the Axis fit and finish. On par with and every bit as good as the 2 Malibus I've owned.

Honestly, both the VLX and LSV that I owned had to have repairs done around the dash for cuts in the hand wrapped vinyl. I actually like not having to worry about that with the Axis. Its still very tasteful and doesn't feel cheap.

Edited by bamabonners
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Axis warranty summary:

base: 24 months (12 months parts and labor + 12 parts only)

tower structural: same as above

tower cosmetic: 12 months

gelcoat: 12 months

hull: lifetime

Edited by bamabonners
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Fman, I really have to disagree with you on one point - fit and finish between the two. I have been very impressed the Axis fit and finish. On par with and every bit as good as the 2 Malibus I've owned.

Honestly, both the VLX and LSV that I owned had to have repairs done around the dash for cuts in the hand wrapped vinyl. I actually like not having to worry about that with the Axis. Its still very tasteful and doesn't feel cheap.

I sat in a '15 Axis at my dealer recently. It's a nice boat, but the plastic dash and plastic components kill it for me. I prefer the touchscreen features and wrapped dash, it just looks so much more custom to me. Along with a full windshield. The patterns on the Axis just don't give me a warm fuzzy feeling either. The foam in the seats seems different, like axis uses a softer foam. I felt like I could feel the seat base more with the Axis. I don't think the Axis has terrible interior just imo not on par with Malibu. We can agree to disagree on this :-) But hey, that is just my opinion... really does not matter, as long as who ever owns there boat likes it.

And I have also had a seat tear in a malibu, the corner flip up seats on the bead seperated after about 200 hours on each prior vlx I had. That seat takes a beating, not sure how the 15 will hold up, but could be the same outcome. I would think Axis has had there share of interior defects as well over time. I will say Malibu repaired the seats no questions asked under warranty.

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Very personal decision, I was faced with the same choice and could not pass up on the great price I got my 14 MXZ for. For me I like the bells and whistles and what to me anyway is a higher end finish.

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Thanks all, great input. Went with the T23 and pretty happy.

The only hesitation was resale but owning a boat that doesn't completely fit our needs just because of a good resale doesn't make much sense.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Question

Any T23 owners with the 350 Monsoon notice a vibration that occurs with engine running in neutral or at a very very low speed that originates from the back of the boat?

I took it to the dealer and they said that its the way PCM engines load and dump with the single port exhaust. I put my hand on the surf pipe and its shaking pretty good.

At any other speed then very slow there is no vibration at all.

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