I have the CIT365GM (edgeless 5 element- mirrored). I really love it. I don't know anything about the dimensions of the Freedom nor about the cooking space. I would think you'd want to make sure you can fit enough pots on the freedom? Good luck!

As I understand it (from talking to a dealer at a home show), Thermador got to use Gaggenau's components for their freedom cooktop but had to restrict themselves to a 30" cooktop in a 36" space. In other words, there's lots of wasted space in that model, as you saw. Perhaps Gagggenau has a better comparable model, if you want the freedom to put pans anywhere you want.

As for features, some people really like hobs that turn off after a set time, e.g., for cooking rice. Wouldn't say its indispensable, but that could be nice to have.

I just watched a video. Unless there is a more convenient way to adjust the power than in the video, the CIT365 is MUCH more convenient to use from that aspect. Scrolling is way cool, but takes much longer. The CIT365 is great, in that you can either use the + or - to change power one step at a time, or just touch the number directly for larger steps.

I would also be interested to know how much power can be delivered into each pot size. e.g., for a 10" pot of water to be boiled, how much power?

The Freedom series does recognize very small pots -- down to 3" if pretty much centered over one of the coils. And odd shaped things such as griddles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermador Freedom video