I have owned both, i had an 882 for a bunch of years and i now own a Z7. There are a pile of differences.
The rear deck is actually a good bit smaller on the Z7. If you take out the tape measure its at least 6" shorter front to back if not more.
The front deck is way bigger then the 882 by over a foot. Some of that comes from the extra 5" of boat, the other comes form pushing the consoles and seats to the rear.
Storage wise they rearanged quite a bit. The front storage compartment in the Z7 is smaller. It also does not extend under the deck like the 882 did. The rear storage tups on the Z7 are bigger then the 882. they are more rectangle then square. The rod lockers on the Z7 are both longer and a good bit wider then the 882's. The underseat storage that the 882 has is gone on the Z7. Overall id say the actualy vailable storage is about the same its just configured differently. I also think they left a ton of space wasted on the Z7 that they could have used for storage.
Other things that have changed. they moved the fuel tank from in the rear to under the drivers seat. The battery compartment is much smaller and laid out a lot different. The Z7 does not require a jackplate like the 882 did. The livewell is setup much differently, more liek a Triton. The step up cooler is a nice touch although i wish it was bigger or deeper. The trash can is a nice touch too.
Overall the z7 is a different boat to drive. It does ride better then the 882 and it turns better too. Also because the weight is balanced differently the holeshot is better. Speed wise id guess they are about the same for a given horsepower since the hulls are similar in weight. My Z7 has a lot more motor then my 882 did (175 XS vs 150 XR6) so i dont have a good basis to judge speed on.
