I own and love my Scalpel SE2. I also own the previous gen Top Fuel but there is little crossover there. I have about 700 miles in Texas and Arkansas on the bike.
The seat tube angle becomes an issue the more seat post hangs out. For me, the seat tube is not far out so it works very well, in the middle of the saddle rail mount range. For people showing a ton of post it’s more problematic.
This bike is definitely unique. The bike feels exceedingly playful and that’s why I bought it, tons of fun. The dampers are extremely good as well, I believe what reviewers say about small compression “bump” stiffness off the top on the new Top Fuel. It is still an XC bike, but it’s magic over big rocks. I think this bike shines the most with the shocks open, climbing. Which brings us to BB drop…its really high and takes some commitment. The high BB made me pretty uncomfortable initially but I learned to love it when riding through rocky and rooted climbs. It’s funny to read comments about “old school geometry”, lol. It’s an XC bike, with more travel; it is not “down country”.
You need to ride the Cannondale before you buy it because it’s definitely unique. It also has a better spec at its price point and most are on clearance, mine was $3k.
^that’s the stuff to ride up, making this bike shine.
I still have the 2017 Top Fuel, gave it to the girlfriend, and she always takes my Scalpel. Lol
P. S. Two water bottles. 
P. S. S. These forks ship with five spacers, I reduced and run 2. I also run the shock and fork about 10% lower than the Fox recommendation chart.