How well a new bike shifts or brakes depends primarily on how well the bike shop assembles and adjusts the bike. Either of the bikes you are looking at can shift and brake well if properly set up.
To figure out how each bike fits you, first find out the length of your legs. Stand on a hard floor bare footed with a one inch thick book up against your crotch. Push the book up until the pressure is unpleasant. Then push the book a bit higher. Have your helper measure the distance from the top of the book to the floor. Redo the measurement five times. The highest of the five measurements is your leg length.
Next, with the tires fully inflated, measure the distance from the floor to the top of the top tube just behind the stem of each bike. That measurement ought to be about two inches less than your leg length. So, if your leg length is 34 inches, the "standover" from the top of the top tube at the stem down to the floor should be about 32 inches. Measure just behind the stem, as many top tubes drop in height between the stem and the seat post.
If the standover is correct, you can dial in saddle height, the fore/aft position of the saddle, and the length and height of the stem. If the standover is too high (a 34 inch standover and 34 inch leg length) or too short (a 30 inch standover and 34 inch leg length) you will never be able to get a good fit on the bike.
How much seat post is showing is not very helpful, due to the different geometry used by different models. However, when the saddle is at the correct height, there ought to be at least two or three inches of post showing between the top tube and the bottom of the saddle.
And, if there is five or six inches of post showing, you need to check to find out whether the bars will be too low for comfortable riding. If a road bike fits you, it should be possible to raise the bars so the top of the bars is within one inch of the top of the saddle. You may not chose to set the bars that high, but a correctly fitted bike at least gives you the option of having the bars that high.