I have the Thermador and I like everything about it with one exception - the height of the produce drawer (I don't know what the others have). I love the looks, the layout and the lighting. It's very solid and cleans up easily (glass shelves, not plastic). I don't personally like the 2-drawer freezers, so those wouldn't have been on my list. I've attached a picture of mine.

They're all well thought of appliances. One of the deciding points for me, in choosing Miele all fridge and all freezer was the hinges. I'm sure they're the same in Thermador. They extend outward when open, so you're not limited to 90ð - 110ð. I got cabinet hinges that do the same thing. Do check out the limits and stops.

I don't know about your model, but Liebherr has a system that allows you to attach a flush integrated door to the door of the fridge.

As to how to choose, since it sounds like your budget will allow any of them, the best way is to look closely at them all, read through the manuals, open them in a showroom and try taking out the shelves, etc., and bring some bottles and jars to arrange so you can get a real idea of what fits how. Decide which suits you and your lifestyle best. If there's a tossup, then choose the less expensive one.

I've heard the Miele is really a Liebherr. Or at least some of them are.

We've got the SZ IT-36CIID on order. We considered the Liebherr. The only reason we stayed away was that we had such a hard time even finding one to look at that we feared what service could be like. The local appliance dealer carried the SZ. Many places carry the SZ. So we went with the SZ. Also, when we did locate all those types in one place, the SZ just 'felt' best to us. But I think that's a totally personal thing.

Which one has your KD and cabinet installer dealt with the most? That's just as important as the internals if you are wanting the fully integrated look. You can't buy experience with the actual instal of these machines. It has to be earned at the cost of errors during your learning curve. Ask your installer which one he prefers and why.

We've had the Liebherr HCB1561 about a year and a half now, and love it!
Integrates beautifully with surrounding cabinetry, keeps produce very well, and enjoy the smaller size ice cubes it makes!

No bad options on your list. Expect you've looked at most of them.

Miele fridges are now made by Miele. xedos or deeageaux can fill in where they are made and which components come from where. Cannot recall the details.

Thermador and Liebherr should be kinder to the budget. I had an excellent experience with my Liebherr fridge. Loved it and loved the two drawers and the ice maker as well. Some people feel the interior looks flimsy but it's not. Very tough. And the door is 0 clearance. My girlfriend's intergrated completely in her cabinetry and looked great.

SZ and Miele are gold standard. SZ may have the most options in terms of configuration. I have a permanent crush on the 36-inch glass door fridge with drawers below but there's a premium for it.

DD has the 36" Miele, bottom fridge. 0 issues. The lighting is amazing. Upper shelves in that fridge are very high so if it's a shortie house then that may rule out Miele. But the quality is very evident and they have an electronic module that monitors the fridge. DD also has 2 SZs with freezer drawers on the bottom in the house as well and both are paneled, look great, 0 issues.

Thanks everyone! We looked at all these options in person today. We loved the Miele best (brilliant lighting and SO solid), but it's hard to justify over $2k more than the Liebherr, which also seemed as nice as I could possibly need in a fridge.

I'm grateful for the positive Liebherr recommendations because that's what I'll likely go for...

Any other feedback welcome before I pull the trigger later this week :)

sjhockeyfan, your kitchen in beautiful! Love the cabinet colors/veneers. What type of hood insert did you choose?

The Miele, Thermador and Gaggenau refrigerators, are all produced by BSH out of the same factory.
Other than some differences in electronics , lighting and interior, (the Gagg has a SS interior) they are the same units.

nadianyc, thank you. The hood is the Zephyr Europa line (model is Genova).

Lydia, we got the Thermador built-in because of the price difference between it and SZ, so I understand your thinking.

lydia, we purchased the leibherr FD about 2 1/2 yrs ago and we love it...like roccogirl said, interior is tough and its easy to clean..
lighting is great and we love the freezer drawers on bottom..

have no complaints...

we also looked at SZ and Miele and went with leibherr b/c of price difference..and after researching and asking people, leibherr has been making frigs longer than SZ and their track record is very good...also comes with a good warranty..
super quiet!!

no regrets!!!

The Liebherr is cheaper for a reason, and it's not because they are willing to make less money than other corps!

Their interior is a lot more flimsy. This may not matter to you , but for me, I see them as one of the biggest overchargers in the marketplace for what they deliver.

Additionally, most of their models Do NOT allow for cabinetry toekick to be placed in front of the grills, and even when they do they will not be in the same plane as you adjacent cabinetry. This may not matter to you, or you may have a standalone design like hockeyfan - where it won't be as obvious. But, this is a shortcoming that none of the other models on your list have.

The biggest drawback is that the drawers on the Liebherr are realllllly small compared to the others. There drawer glides are also not quite as beefy.