Thanks for the kind words. Lalitha! The induction is three elements. It's 2/3 of the 36" unit you can see in the stores (or was last year...). From the planning guide "Three cooking zones: One induction cooking zone ø 15 cm (1400 W, with booster 1800 W) [small ring]. One induction cooking zone ø 21 cm (2200 W, with booster 3300 W) [medium ring]. One induction cooking zoneø 18 cm (1800 W, with booster 2500 W) [center ring of large element] addition increases cooking zone to ø 28 cm (3600 W, with super booster function 4400 W) [outer ring plus center ring = large element]" The Wolf gas is "One medium 12,000 Btu/hr sealed burner with 800 Btu/hr delivered at simmer. One small 9,200 Btu/hr sealed burner with 300 Btu/hr delivered at simmer." The small, front one is about 9" square, and the medium, rear one is about 10"x13" I find this configuration very adaptable. Sometimes I'm trying to make a one pot quickie, which is often on the large induction element. Or I'll do a pot and a pan, with one on the large element, and one on the front medium element. These are things like pasta with vegetables, or a saute and a sauce. A few weeks ago I was making burritos to freeze. I had already made the meat in the oven and shredded it. I had the rice simmering in a large shallow pot (Le Creuset "braiser"), on the large induction element, and my Le Creuset small, square grill plate on the small gas burner for toasting the tortillas. It actually does work on the induction, and would have meant less fiddling with the heat, but it just seems wrong. Standing between the two really drove home how hot the gas is. It was on low-medium and my left side was hot, and my right side, stirring the rice, wasn't! For Passover Seder, I had the matzah balls on the back burner, the chicken soup on the large induction burner, smaller things off and on on the smaller induction burners, and the teakettle on the small gas. I did the large pot of tzimmis (roots and fruits) early and was holding it in the warming drawer. I would have done the same thing even if I twice the number of burners. Heating up the chicken broth is nothing. I wanted anything I needed to pay attention to over by that point. Meats in the ovens, and casseroles in the Advantium on oven setting. I just bought some chicken to make meatballs out of, and some red peppers for the sauce. I'll char the peppers on the gas (I even have a little mesh style barbecue grill that sits on the grate), and cook the chicken balls in a braiser on the large induction element. I'll probably make the mother sauce on the medium induction element, though if I do a saute as well, I'll do that there, and the sauce on the small gas. Most people rarely use more than three burners at once. As I said, even when I could need five or six, I'd rather use the warming drawer and three or four. And I have an electric kettle which I could use if I needed to free a hob. There are a few things which I make, which theoretically have half a dozen different pots all hot at once and combined only at plating, but even those can be done in shifts given a warming drawer or hot plate. I wanted the 24" induction because I wanted the big, powerful element and didn't want to devote the money or space to two Gaggenau dominoes to accomplish the same thing. For less than a quarter of what the two pieces would have cost me, I got the same function in 6" less counter, and a couple inches less vertical depth. The drawer underneath and the hood are both 48" wide. As you can see, I gained a couple of precious counter inches in the corner, and several on the right, which is my secondary prep area (by the clean-up sink). And I got the cool magnet knob. :)

Be very, very careful if you are considering a Thermador. I have a Thermador 36" free standing Gas range/oven, 4 burners and center griddle. Now I'm posting where I can to warn people - just like others have said. Thermador is a crap shoot. I had narrowed down to Wolf, Viking or Thermador. The wolf griddle was a toughy for me, given it was permenant mount and looked difficult to clean. All other bells and whistles were about the same - so opted for Thermador with the lines and beauty. Now, looking at yet another $700.00 circuit board, I'm beyond angry. Into my 5K range for 7K now, and still hoping I can get it fixed correctly. The service is horrendous, and locating parts is just as bad. The worst part is, all the reviews are out there warning people about the T'dor brand, and I didn't do my own research. Another angering factor, repair person told me that Wolf and Viking parts are readily available, at a fraction of the costs. He told me Viking parts are even available at Sears. (!!!!!) If you choose Thermador, you are rolling the dice. As long as you are aware of that going in. . . . I didn't do my research first, and now I regret it beyond words. . . . .

I'm looking for a rangetop, either slide in or drop-in. Everything about this range looks perfect to me except the "island trim" which won't work in my application (in front of a window). Usually island trim means the trim is flush with the counter surface. This one rises above the back of the unit. How will people use this on an island?

We are making the same decision right now -- either sub zero or thermador for a 36" French Door. I'm leaning towards Thermador based on (i) price (cheaper to start, then factor in the free range hood and it beats the sub by a $3k or more); and (ii) some aesthetic aspects, like the integrated look, the LED column style lighting, and that it would match a touch better with a Thermador range (which includes a free dishwasher). Based on name along, and my support of American manufactured products, I wanted the sub, but it's really hard to justify the extra money, particularly when I already have a hard time justifying the extra spend over the price of a Samsung FD which worked just fine for me for 5 years. But I would love to hear if anyone has any other thoughts. When is the Sub Zero 42 inch French Door coming out? I see it in the design guide, so I assume sometime this year.