I measured all these fridges. Inside. I multiplied the inches and divided to get cubic feet. I did the same exercise for many commercial fridges too. Commercial fridges always had accurate documentation. Residential fridges never did. In commercial fridges, the stated capacity is an accurate volume number. In residential fridges, the stated capacity is just a number. Anything "nominal". Nothing related to reality. They are still being honest, since the number is a general indication of order of magnitude. It gets a bit dishonest when they start dividing the "general" and "nominal" number into decimal parts. It misleads us all into thinking there is a correlation with real capacity. Executive Summary: (Or, all you really need to know:) Inside the Summit is as much space as inside the competitors' fridges, and nobody has lied. It's either the same volume, or just about.

Many thanks for your prompt response.... Yes, I had already studied that manual before posting, but it seemed to beg the question.... At one point it said "the appliance can be set up right next to the kitchen unit" as well as saying "the appliance can be installed in a row of kitchen units". But then it also says: " If you wish to attach the appliance to adjacent units or to fit a spacer between the appliance and the wall, please.... verify that the door can open and close properly." And then point 1., which you quoted, says "the appliance can be set up right next to the kitchen unit", but in the same sentence says "The door protrudes 1-5/16 inches (34 mm) from the side of the kitchen unit...". My understanding is that you can have cabinets flush aganst it on the sides ONLY IF you have the front sticking out beyond the line of your counters. But then this contraditcts the opening sentence which states "A gap of at least 2 inches (51 mm) depth must be provided behind and along the entire width of this unit".....The illustration does not seem to leave any gap on the sides.... The other apart of my original question was how does the built-in model handle door-opening clearance and ventilation issues?? Isn't the front flush with its adjoining neighbors and flush up against them on the sides? I'd love to hear if anyone had cupboards buit around their fridge so that the fridge is in a line with the fronts of the cabinets and does NOT leave gaps on the right side or the left side....[Venting would circle around the fridge from top-to-front-to-bottom-to-back-to-front, etc. with significant gaps above and below the fridge (like in the instruction manuals for the Liebherr built-ins). Then it would look just like a built-in.... Also, do built-ins usually cost 4x's the same freestanding model? Janet in Jerusalem

We are considering all the same issues as this poster. Our fridge will be on the far left of the row of cabinets in a galley kitchen, so it seems that opening a single door left-hinge fridge will be more convenient than an FD. I also am very concerned about energy efficiency and durability, so I have some questions about how well the FD models will seal long term. I have no interest in throwing my $2000 fridge out in 5 years! We did find a GE model that seems to fit the bill: PDCS1NBWLSS GE Profile Energy Star 21.1 Cu. Ft. Stainless Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator - Left Hinged. We have not bought this yet but are still shopping around. We want a modest sized one like this (again to avoid wasting energy for space we rarely need), but there may be something similar in a larger size. Good hunting! Good luck!

Measure inside compartments -- with a rigid tape measure that you close the door on-- You'll see that true inside dimensions are not close to nominal stated capacity. This is the case for residential fridges. In the commercial market, the volume numbers they give are much closer to reality. So, beware of "stated capacity". What counts more is the number of shelves. The half-shelf is good too, to enable you to store tall things upright. hth