The first thing that I noticed is how dry the dishes come out. My old washer always left a bit of moisture in and on the dishes and I didn't think it was a big deal until I got this unit and It's made a big difference. Ive always heard the fact that using the dishwasher uses less water than hand washing but my old washer was still kind of a pain and with smaller loads I often opted to hand wash. This one is so much easier to use and I find myself machine washing much more frequently. 
The other big upgrade that I love is the adjustable racks. I can fit my big pan in here now where I couldn't before.