Yeah, I would do some test rides too.

Though I agree that drop bars (the curved kind) can be more comfortable for long rides, it really depends on the set up. There's a lot of people that prefer flat bars or risers of some kind. Do you have any inkling that you might do some long distance rinding in the future? Things like charity rides, touring or just long rides with friends? If that's the case then a bike like the TriCross starts to make more sense.

I'm a little inclined to have people not spend too much money on the first bike because after a year or so they'll know better what they want.