Originally Posted by khuon
I tend to think of both those bikes more like flatbar road-comfort/sport bikes than hybrids. There's a subtle difference in geometry between the two types of bikes. I've also ridden both bikes. Of the two, I would pick the Silhouette over the basic Sirrus but I would pick the Sirrus Elite over the Silhouette due to the carbon fork on the Sirrus Elite. The Fuji Absolute actually is closer in spec to the basic Sirrus. Fuji doesn't really have a match for the Sirrus Elite. The Fuji Royale competes closer to the Sirrus Elite in frame and fork but it's a lot more expensive and includes an Ultegra group which overall puts it at the level of the Sirrus Pro.
Thanks for the comments. Obviously one of the decisions involved — besides comfort/quality — is price.
The Fuji Silhouette runs about $600 here, while the Sirrus Elite is going for $749. The basic Sirrus is, if I remember correctly, around $450. In my brief test, they all ride well and were comfortable; my original message was aimed at trying to help me make the best buying decision, since people on this list seem to have a lot of experience and knowledge.
Plan to head back to the LBS today and give them both another ride.