I know this is an old question, but I am researching this right now, so I thought I'd answer with my findings. The dishwasher you've asked about is an ADA dishwasher and will have a toe kick that is 6" off the floor (versus a std 4"). The hinge kit allows you to add another piece of cabinetry to make the toe kick line up with the rest of the cabinets.

For me, the folding tines and loading options were significant. Serving pieces and parger bowls, mixing bowls typically need something to give to fit properly. I don't plan to use the water softener (might be a big deal if you have hard water though). and the interior light on the Benchmark (8 or 9, not on the 7) is not a big deal to me, but DH wanted the quietest possible. I needed a panel ready DW. Otherwise, I might have done the 800 series I saw at Best Buy, Lowes and elsewhere for $1079. It has most of the same features as a Benchmark in a stainless front. I don't know where you were shopping, but there are more models than any one place displays. I had to drive across town to find a Benchmark to look at, One place had nothing but a 500 series and a Thermador. Talk about a huge gap! Anyway, I think the 500 series is the right place to start looking and then go up if needed for the features you need.

We just bought the kitchenaid kdte254ess. they were slightly less than the boschs with roughly the same features and both made or at least assembled in the US. The "water softener" feature--we use a bit of citric acid with each load which does the same thing--keep the hardness deposits off. The racks on the kitchenaid seemed a little sturdier than the bosch. The water softener feature I got the impression (may be wrong!) required special packets of salt, which translates to $$, so we're going to stick with the pinch of citric acid (cheap!) The KA were so similar to the Bosch they almost seemed made by the same company, just slightly different look and features. Only the highest-model Bosch at around $2K is still made in Germany. I think the big difference is that KA has a heated dry feature and Bosch does not. I doubt we will ever use the heated dry feature, though. We like to save energy and our climate is so dry the dishes always are dry. The KA was rated 39 db instead of the Bosch 42 - 44 db. the next KA model up had the spinning (orbital) water spray feature and the delay was 1-24 hours vs. 1, 2, 4 hours only. (For $400 more, not worth it to us.)The display is slightly different--lights under each option vs. one display panel. the model higher had a "microfilter" meaning it did not have to be checked for particle material. there was also this special mini-spray thing in each corner of the top rack to spray stained items like coffee cups. One more thing to break. We don't have a lot of problems with cleaning the filters so skipped that. Our old bosch went out after 16 years, a decent life time, the water pump died, expensive repair so time to replace it. The delay button (which we use because we have time-of-use electrical rates) wasn't working any more, and we figured we got 16 years out of the machine, time for a new one. My neighbor just got a Bosch, one thing is her door latch--the plastic part where you put your fingers and lift up snapped the very first time she used it! She said it didn't clean quite as well as the old one, but that always varies, doesn't it? What you cook, how dirty the dishes are going in, etc. Bosch came out and fixed the broken plastic bit, of course it was under warranty but still be aware of that. Can't comment on the KA yet, it won't arrive until tomorrow. The various models of both KA and Bosch--once you get the same basic mechanism, motor and so forth, the rest is just additional features--more to break and more to repair. The one feature we use is delay start. Bosch had that too.

Like Heather, I, too, was surprised to find smaller price differentials between the two brands. I happened to be shopping for a replacement DW a couple of months ago. This was just as Bosch and Miele were releasing their updated model lines. I mention this because (at least, in my area), there have been deals offered on warehouse stock and floor models which may be worth considering, particularly if you are interested in a Miele. For your question about potential differences in the quality of the interiors of the two brands' models, I would say that Bosch models I saw all had nylon racks and parts much as the Miele models did. Miele's racks are designed to provide loading flexibility with few movable tines, etc. The new Bosch models' racks seemed to be a bit lighter in construction and seemed to have even more moving parts than they used to have. Because of that, I second homepro's recommendation to take some of your dishes and etc. down to a showroom (or showrooms). See how your things fit and whether you like or dislike the loading patterns for the models you are considering. Like 3katz4m3, I found I slightly preferred the Bosch models' layout. But that is very much personal preference so YMMV. You mentioned that your 8 y.o Bosch had developed leaks and asked if the latest Bosch models are more durable than your old one. That seems hard to judge. My original bottom-of-the-line Bosch DW lasted from the 1990s to 2011 with the only work being replacement of a worn latching release spring for the detergent dispenser. I bought a new DW when the control panel burned out and replacements were no longer available. The new DW was a Bosch 500 series model. It developed cracks in the plastic pump and sump housings this March just after the five year warranty ran out. The parts assemblies seemed very expensive and the replacement process seemed (to me) onerous enough to make me look at a new DW. I can say that, to my eye when shopping back in March, the new Bosch models did look better to work on than the ones from five to eight years ago. Whether that makes them more durable is hard to say. Miele DWs have a longstanding reputation for being built like tanks and there is the company's vaunted mantra of "designed for a 20 year useful life" or "7500 cycles." That is an admirable yet aspirational expectation; Miele's extended warranty is only five years. (Canadians can sometimes get 10 year extended warranties from Miele.) Some posters here have had Miele dishwashers last for a long time, but some have not. An additional consideration from previous threads on Miele DWs is that you probably will not need service, but if you do need service, you want to be sure that Miele factory service is readily available where you live as opposed to dealer coverage which may not be as good. One small thing of possible note: if you want a smudge resistant stainless steel finish on the exterior, Miele DWs had it and the Bosch ones did not, at least when I was shopping in March. On cleaning performance, I cannot speak directly to the abilities of the current Benchmark and 800 series because I bought one of the new 300 series models. What I can say is that the new 3-rack 300 series model takes about 15% longer to run a full cycle than its 500-series predecessor did, but does an excellent job. One difference between the machines is what Bosch calls a "Clean 30" cycle. So far, for me, the new DW's "Clean 30" cycle (which I now use frequently) has worked as well as the standard long cycles on its predecessor. ETA: Although the cycle is called "Clean 30," the timer display always shows it taking 38 to 40 minutes on my unit. I suspect you would see the same with the new Benchmark and 800 series models. As best I could tell when shopping, the higher level Bosch models offered those and additional cycle choices, additional rack flexibility, and, as Heather noted, there were a couple of the more expensive models that also offer built-in water softeners. Before starting out on my shopping trip, I had read some older posts here saying that Miele offered an automatic water softening system. Don't know if they still do that but the Miele model I saw when shopping (a "Crystal") required testing water hardness and programming the water softener much as the Bosch ones do. If memory serves, the price of that Miele was less than the Bosch Benchmark with the water softener (at least on that day). It also offered the end-of-cycle auto-door-opening feature which enhances final drying. I passed on it mainly because the cost was over my planned budget and our town's water is not all that hard. And a final FWIW : even the new Bosch 300 series models are rated at 44 dBA for quietness. Some of the Benchmark models are even less. The low-to mid range Miele models that I looked at were rated at 46 dBA as was my previous Bosch 500 model. The 2 dBA difference seems negligible to me.