1) Yes, that price is about right.

2) Why do you want a Wolf cooktop? If you bought the rangetop you could buy the iconic red knobs and the cool looking S-grates.

3) Look at the video below. Both cooktops would be about the same price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestar vs Wolf Burner Comparison

Actually, I wouldn't buy any brand cooktop in a 30" size. The problem with a cooktop (vs. the rangetop as Deegeaux mentioned) is that the knobs take up a great deal of the cooktop's cooking surface. If you have a 36" cooktop (or larger) this is not really a problem. But with a 30" cooktop, your pans will be quite crowded, and it will be a PITA for sure. Go to a showroom with 30" cooktops, or with the 30" Wolf cooktop, bring along your favorite frying pan, and see what I mean. The advantage(s) of a rangetop are that the knobs are facing you on the front, rather than taking up cooktop real estate. You also won't have to do a complicated cut-out for your countertop to fit in a rangetop as you would have to do for a cooktop. If down the road you want to switch out your rangetop for another one, it would be an easy switch, vs. a cooktop where the cutout is specifically to one cooktop and you won't fit a different cooktop in there. Also, many people prefer the rangetop's more "professional kitchen" look, but that's personal preference.

The upshot is, or my suggestion is, either buy a 30" rangetop, or buy a cooktop in a 36" size if you can fit it. Unfortunately, a 30" Wolf rangetop costs about $2700. But there are many other good brands out there of rangetops that would cost less, such as Dacor or Electrolux.

Wolf 30" Rangetop

Dacor 30" Rangetop

Electrolux 30" Rangetop

I don't disagree with akchicago comments but would add that with a cooktop you generally retain the top drawer below (it may need to be cutdown a bit). With a rangetop you lose the top drawer underneath it.

Without discussing any size limitations in your kitchen or venting restrictions, the range top is a great way to go....on paper. Be advised range-tops are not only more expensive but also may ask for more CFM's in your vent. More CFM's mean bigger duct sizes. Also, down-venting a range-top is not recommended in most cases.
That being said, a 30" gas cooktop is small and prone to crowding.

Configuration,rangetop or cooktop, has no relevance to required venting. It is true than many companies offer more powerfull burners on their rangetops than cooktops. More power,more btus,would require more cfms.

Down-venting a gas cooktop or rangetop would not be recommended because they are far less effective than hoods,regardless of configuration.

THANK YOU all for your input. We had not even considered a rangetop ... but we are now! Tomorrow we are going to the Wolf showroom to see it (and I am definitely bringing my biggest pan). We'd love to have a 36" but are restricted by space to a 30". We are also looking to get the downdraft vent. Does anyone have any comments about it? Again, thanks!

Agree with Deeageaux and disagree with Aprince about venting for a rangetop vs. cooktop. Venting requirements are a function of the btu's of the specific appliance, not whether the appliance is a cooktop or a rangetop. For example, the Dacor rangetop I linked above has less total btu's than the Wolf cooktop that the OP was initially writing about.

The rough rule of thumb for sizing the cfm's of a hood to the btu's of a cooktop/rangetop is 10cfm's per 1000btu's of burner capacity. So, if you have four burners of 15,000 btu's each, equals 60,000, means you'll need 600 cfms (yours likely won't be as much as 60,000 btu's). Some people say you can go less cfm's, because the calculation assumes all 4 burners going at once. The counter to that argument is that a hood with extra capacity will be quieter to operate when you mostly need its lower setting. Furthermore, on those occasions when you DO need all 600 cfms (frying fish for example), you will be glad to have all that capacity.

To the OP, I would avoid a downdraft vent unless you absolutely have to. They are not a good use of your money. You may as well open a window. Downdraft vents work against the principles of physics - i.e. that smoke and grease ascend upward. The downdraft will also pull on the flame of your back burners. You are much better off with a proper overhead hood, which will efficiently pull up the smoke and grease. Why do you want a downdraft? How can we talk you out of it?

I would rather spend my money on a rangetop that maybe is not a Wolf so as not to pay so much for the rangetop, and then spend the money on a proper hood. That's just my $.02.

Thanks, akchicago. The reason we are considering a downdraft vent is that we have no way to vent to the outside. Our only options (unless you can think of another one) is to use a recirculating hood or a downdraft vent which utilizes the existing Jenn-air vent.

Are you sure you cant vent outside? If it's a 2 story house and the range is on the first floor there is at least room for a 8" round duct unless your floor joists are seriously undersized, but you can also go with a rectangular duct. You will need to remove a part of the ceiling for sure, but it is easy to repair drywall, or is it an old house with plaster ceilings. If it is matching the ceiling texture that is an issue, scrape it off, textueed ceilings are a pain in a kitchen anyway.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions, especially the ones that suggested a rangetop vs cooktop. After visiting several showrooms we've decided on the Dacor rangetop ($1,000 cheaper than the Wolf!!) with a vented hood and the KitchenAid convection microwave/oven combo. The Wolf, Bluestar, etc. are great but we could not justify the expense - Dacor will do just fine. I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions when it comes to installation.

"Venting requirements are a function of the btu's of the specific appliance, not whether the appliance is a cooktop or a rangetop. For example, the Dacor rangetop I linked above has less total btu's than the Wolf cooktop that the OP was initially writing about"

Disagree with AKchicago's and Deagueex's conclusion. Although you are correct in stating venting is a function of BTU's, I have yet to find a Rangetop with LESS BTU's than a cooktop. In fact, the Dacor you linked to above has 12,300 MORE BTU's than a Wolf cooktop.

Also, the link lists model for 30" but specs for 36".
I recommend disregarding all specs not from the manufacturers website

I do not like appearance of the the rangetops. They are not as sleek. It *sounds* like there is more space, but there is not if you measure it. The rangetop has more space in one direction, but not in the other. Wolf's cooktop, in particular, uses space efficiently because the knobs are all on one side. This is in contrast to other brands which have the knobs in the front. That *does* seem like a pain to cook on. If you are going to go with a rangetop then may as well just buy a range, IMO.