I have a six-burner and love it. When I need a griddle I just use a large nonstick one that fits over 2 burners.

I had the same dilemma, and chose a Dacor range that gives me the best of both worlds. Granted, my range is 48 inch so it's a little different, but I bet you could find something similar in the 36 inch size. My range is 6 burners but they are oversized, meaning I can actually put 2 frying pans or big pots next to each other and they fit. It comes with a removable griddle that fits over the middle 2 burners for those situations where I want to grill or griddle something , and the best part is that I can just take it off and wash it in the sink when I'm done. And, I have all 6 burners to use everyday. I've seen too many people buy the built in griddle and never use it because it's too hard to clean and they don't want to mess it up since it's so visible. Check out Dacor, and good luck!

^6 burner and just get a griddle that spans 2 burners any generic one will work.

Thanks everyone for chiming in. Took your advice and bought the 6 burner and will just buy a griddle pan.

Baileysr, is the Dacor still working for you? I'm thinking to get 48" 6-burner of the discontinued Discovery series. I like it better than the newer options. What hood specs would you suggest?