FWIW. A generally accepted
rule of thumb is that you get more bike for your money by choosing a similarly equipped GIANT than a similar bike from almost any other 'name' brand. Consequently, I seriously doubt that the TREK which you are considering is worth $250 more than the GIANT which you are considering ...
If the one bike (in this instance, the Trek) feels more comfortable, then bring a tape measure ... measure the seat to pedal height ... ditto for the handlebars ... basically, MATCH the orientation of all of rider-bike contact points to ensure that it isn't just how the one bike was arbitrarily set up before it was set on the showroom floor compared with another bike.
And then, see if matching the EXACT configuration on the other bike (including air pressure in the tires) yields a similar ride OR continues to feel less comfortable to you.
BTW. If you won't be commuting in wet weather AND/OR if you don't plan to ride in wet conditions when you are not commuting then you probably do NOT need a bike which has disc brakes.
BTW2. In the
Lower-48, a 2015 bike should be ~75%-or-less of the MSRP ... it is technically over a year-and-a-half old ...
Like automobiles, you can consider the model year to begin the September of the preceding calendar year ...
BUT for bikes, I think that July 1st (
the beginning of the 3rd Quarter) is when I think you can actually consider a bike to be a year old because hints of the next year's bikes will definitely be out-there AND in the Southern Hemisphere, it's whatever Winter you have (
i.e., "off" season).
That's right, a 2016 model could be considered to be a year old in less than six months from now AND you should consider the price you pay to be for a NOS item at the near-future date.
As others have noted in numerous threads, most bicycle frames are now fabricated in either Taiwan or Mainland China ... so, the REAL difference (
after the actual specifications which the manufacturer wants for the frame with regard to geometry & quality of welding) may only be the decals ...
So, if by chance you are in ANZ, then you should probably try to avoid the surcharge duty which is apparently imposed on "foreign" brands (e.g., definitely TREK) AND simply look for a comparably equipped bike (i.e., the frame type & level of SHIMANO components) which is sold under a domestic label (e.g., Merida? Apollo?) ... that is, if you are in Oz-or-environs, then the fore mentioned rule regarding the benefit of buying a 'new' GIANT bike from a retail dealer (i.e., bike shop) may not be applicable.
BTW3. Since
I don't have a problem with the concept of riding a bike with fenders AND because you may be using your bike to commute, I think you may want to steer your eyes toward the GIANT
Cross City 2 Equipped bike if only to use as a benchmark against which you judge the possible bikes to choose from ...
I realize that MANY people think it is wrong-thinking to replace components on a new bike, but $200-to-$450 can go a long way toward replacing this-or-that component which you may deem to be unsatisfactory in the future AFTER you have ridden the bike for a few weeks/months/years.
Having said ALL of the foregoing, because a person's personal
aesthetic sensibilities ARE a factor, if you like the way a particular bike/(
whatever) looks when compared to whatever the option might be, then it can be an over-riding factor.