I may have an opportunity to get a new bike, but only through the cycle to work scheme for Halfords, which means only Boardman SLR 8.9 or 9.6 where I’d much rather an Emonda ALR.
I don’t ride outside much and when I do it’s on my own, so mostly for hill climbing 1-2h rides in Summer.
Boardman bikes are good. I’ve had a few over the years and looking at the ADV9.4 for a Road/Gravel rig.
The 9.6 does look good but have you considered Vitus bikes at all? The Vitesse Evo also looks good.
I think it’s all in the wheels… the Scott and the BMC have 25mm alloy wheels that are around 1700/1800g or more. The Boardman has 45mm high carbon wheels that are closer to 1600g.
Also, the Scott and the Merida have fully internal cable routing thorugh the headset. Not a problem if you have a friendly local bike shop, but if you were planning on changing the bar height or bars yourself it coumd be a bit complex.
If you don’t already have decent disc brake wheels, the Boardman 9.6 actually looks pretty good, especially if you prefer shimano gearing