I have a Devinci Wilson. I love it, never lets me down in any situation. (other than having to push it up the hill!) I have ridden a Transition TR450 which has a really nice stance and poppy feeling to it compared to how planted my wilson is. The Specialized Status is another one I have ridden that is almost as good, but just doesn't have the full plowing capability of the other two.
As stated before, there is no BEST BIKE, you just need to go and demo as many as you can if possible and follow the information and your heart.