I luv my trek hybrid I have my older Giant Nutra hybrid that will handle any terrain I want (packed gravelly stuff and roads), and it's a lot like the Trek hybrids.
However... I'd at least *try* the next bikes up. Friend of mine was looking at the 7100 and I talked her into trying I think the 7500 or maybe 7300 ... anyway, it was I think aluminum instead of steel and made a huge difference in how easy it was to shove along. (I have a 7500FX but that runs >600 ... but it's worth considering how important this relationship is and amortizing increased expense over time! I mean, what if next year you want to upgrade again?)