We are redoing our kitchen and my wife is undecided between using a cooktop
+ oven combination or a single range unit.

My feeling is a single range unit is better if it breaks you can slide it
out and replace with another one. But a cooktop had to be taken off from
the countertop and the oven removed from the pantry.

Since she does not bake a lot, we have no use for a double oven.

I would rather spend the money to get a meaner range perhaps a professional
grade one with a wok element. We do a lot of pan frying and steaming and
very little baking. We also has an outdoor kitchen with a gas grill so
grilling can be done outside. So I am leaning to an integrated unit.

However I did notice that the cooktops tend to be more spaced out - more
room between each burner, which is an advantage. But many cooktops have the
controls on top, and that makes them harder to clean in my opinon,
especially when there is spillage.

Are there other advantages of cooktops I am not aware of?

Thanks!