Im fairly new to road bikes so take this for what it may be worth. I have a Crossrip Elite and love it. I love that it is versatile and can go between the pavement and gravel trails. I take it on 30+ mile rides along a canal path with hard packed gravel.I also like having a rack and trunk bag. With that said I tried it with some 25 mm slicks and it felt nice and fast on the road but not nearly as fast and nimble as some of my friends road bikes. I ended up buying a road bike as well. Neither bike is gathering dust so I don't feel guilty about the second purchase.

So I guess the point of my post is to be sure of what you want to use the bike for before making a purchase. It sounds like you already have a mountain bike for use on trails. If you really intend to stay on the pavement I would look for a pure road bike.

I bought the Emonda ALR 6. Which is above your budget. The 4 is available now and on the Trek website.