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@Courant
Go with how the hoods feel in your hands, this is the biggest practical difference between the manufacturers. In terms of "smoothness", the post above referred to the lever action, rather than the ability to shift nicely at the gear end, particularly under load. So, "liking smooth shifting" shouldn't necessarily direct you towards ultegra! In any case, the action of 2009 centaur has been lightened up considerably.
FWIW, I think Centaur gives outstanding performance for the money, and I'd be inclined to go for the Centaur alloy option if I were in your boots, looking at the prices you quote. I'd say centaur is easily on par with ultegra (having used both), if not better in some respects, so pocket the £200 difference between them! Otherwise, SRAM rival is meant to be good too, and probably gets the VFM prize, but I've never personally tried it, neither have any of my regular cycling buddies used it.