Based on experience with my Miele W4840, I'd say the US-market Mieles are indeed more "European" than "American". I'd also say that the big Mieles (W4800 series) are more "European" than comparably-sized US machines from any other brand.

Cycle length: The general-purpose cycle (I use Custom, since the heater is disabled in Normal) starts at around 1:10, with the option to add another 0:30 by extending the wash portion of the cycle. That's without optional prewash or optional extra rinse. In contrast, "American-style" machines' cycles tend to be much shorter, even after applying any "heavy soil" option to extend the wash.

Temperature: Five evenly-spaced temperatures from 86degF to 158degF. That lowest temperature, which would be called "warm" on some American-style machines, is actually the temperature that garments labeled for "cold" wash should be able to withstand. In contrast, American-style machines tend to start at 65degF "cold", with "hot" at 120degF or less, and "warm" somewhere in between. Many also have a "sanitary" temperature, with a big gap between "hot" and "sanitary". So Miele is good if you believe in warm and hot washes, and resist the American push toward too-cold (IMO) washing.

Also re temperature: I haven't tried every cycle, but AFAIK, the W4840's heater will boost and maintain temperature for all temperature settings, on all cycles except Normal. From what I've been able to determine, many other brands' machines will boost the temperature only on the sanitary cycle, and only maintain the incoming temperature on other cycles and temperatures.

Very hot water washes will destroy modern clothes. With modern detergents they are not necessary anyway. Boil washes may have been useful in an era before enzyme detergents and when clothes and linens were made to withstand them but those days are long over.

Maybe if you use your washer for shop rags but otherwise anything over 120 degrees will do more harm then good.

Does anyone know if the 4800 series is due to be updated soon?

curiousshopper, the W4840's max temp of 158F is well short of anybody's idea of a "boil wash".

I use temps of 122F and higher mainly for linens, towels, and underwear. Yes, I do wash housecleaning rags at 158F. Stands to reason that housecleaning will be more effective if you start out with clean rags.

On occasion I have washed badly stained or soiled regular clothes, and printed T-shirts, at 140F or 158F. They might not stand repeated washing like that, but a one-time treatment can yield amazing results. Like, my college-age son handled me a T-shirt he had worn for bicycling and for high-school wrestling. It was, umm, pretty gross. A long hot wash with detergent and oxygen bleach restored it to respectable condition, far better than you'd get from any amount of soaking in a sink or an agitator TL.

When using hot temperatures you do have to be careful about colorfastness. Made the mistake of washing white and green all-cotton bathmats together at 158F. They came out quite clean, but the white one wasn't white anymore. I was able to whiten it again with chlorine bleach; if it happened now, I would try oxygen bleach instead.

I see things a little differently about 'boil wash' have a previous generation Miele (last of the 220v units) and use the high temp (95c) wash routinely; towels (only use white ones), tshirts (all cotton); dishtowels (cotton/linen blend) and table linens (pure linen)
Have been washing these routinely for >2yrs with no apparent harm, but things don't get much cleaner; forget bleach, forget stains on napkins and placemats, things are so white they are almost blinding
machine stays clean; it uses so little water heating to that temp is not a big deal on electricity
boil wash is as good today as it was for those in earlier days

I find that most if not all of American laundry detergents don't perform well in higher temperatures. Most fail and resolve to foam out of control. As a result, I have had to turn down the temperatures on washing.

MRB

interesting
use Persil (straight powder) for whites, box shows temps up to 95c
all i know is: never a mold problem in washer, I don't wipe it our or dry it or anything; finish the wash and close the door
and
whites are unbelievable; but i admit things with elastic are washed lower (70C i think) and they come out great too
No science here to look for cause/effect, just one way observation, but to say today's clothes can't stand high temp wash is not true based on my experience
i bet that 70c wash would do fine, maybe as well as the 95; but i don't understand trying to wash clothes without HOT water; one of the reasons I only like white towels, pillow cases, sheets and dish towels and table linens; like them to see some heat in the wash; they come out super clean and no worse for the experience;
I would pause if needed to replace the washer and no 220v unit was available but I suspect the new 110 units that can't get to 95C would do fine

curiousshopper,I am one of those oldfashioned one and use 158 degree and 197 degree cycles on regular basis. The only items I wash in warm water is our comforters. Our laundry didn't suffer yet. My oldest towels are 15 years old and finally some of them starting to frey. I do have around 5-7 loads a week.The magic for me is hot water,Persil and extra rinse.
I don't even sort laundry. I have whites or whites mixed w/light colors or darker which includes very dark and/or black.
We wash as often as needed, that means I have to have at least one load to be washed. Don't care if it's sunday or wednesday.
No mold,no mildew either.

So you don't sort anything and wash everything together in super-hot water? Wow. Sounds like how your typical college freshman does laundry.

I'm glad it works for you and I'm also glad you're not doing MY laundry!

this is an old thread but..

every European mfg selling 50Hz there has to convert those units to 60HZ for US use. Not as easy as you think. The first question the factory asks is "how many are you going to sell?". If that number is low then no go.

also MIele USA has to stock parts, train in house personnel and generally support the unit for minimal sales.

Every mfg (especially foreign) has to go through this. Look at what BMW and MB sell in Europe compared to here

USA is Miele’s biggest market outside of Europe.

They sell only a few models here at very high prices vs elsewhere and they make a considerable profit.

As for automobiles? Similar thing. China only overtook the US as the no 1 export market a few years ago. And they drive on the opposite side btw. So not much trouble at all and BMW now builds in Mexico along with the other German companies.