What did you end up with? Did anyone ever answer you?

We're building a new house and the placement of the appliances is pretty much fixed at this point. We didn't have any idea of how tricky this would be. Speed oven, Steam oven plus 30" convection oven and induction cooktop. Where to put them all? And how to decide which manufacturer so that they all match, without breaking the bank? We're thinking that the 30" Convection oven will be the one we use least. The Miele Steam seems better than the Bosch, but that means we have to make everything Miele to match. Miele 30 " convection is a lot more expensive than the Bosch. And how many of you have a Speed oven and what do you use it for? Currently, we use a Microwave to heat a bowl of soup, or warm up coffee, or reheat leftovers. We roast a lot of chicken and use a Convection oven..same with fish. We're a retired couple so it's mostly the 2 of us, and wonder how often we'll have a crowd and use everything at once. Plus, we're moving to FL and will have a good grill with a rotisserie, so will have that option too. Also wondering about a plain Microwave +Combi Steam+ Convection set up. But we're thinking that for resale value, we should have a Speed Oven. Can any of you tell me which appliances you use the most and do you have any experience with Bosch cooking appliances? And has anyone out there ever installed a wall oven under a cooktop, rather than buying a slide in or built in stove?

We have the Bosch set with speed oven on top, side door opening oven on bottom. I absolutely love both ovens! The side door opening makes cooking almost effortless. There is no awkward reaching or bending and this is from someone with two burn marks on my arm in almost the same place from using our old range! We did not get the double ovens because I felt we did not need the extra oven space plus we use the microwave a lot. Also have the large Breville toaster oven that can be used for extra oven space if needed. We considered Miele as their ovens are beautiful but this was pushing us way over budget so not an option. Good luck with decision, took us at least 6 months to figure out! Btw food comes out awesome in both ovens, obviously very important 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.