There is a cadre of more black-hatted laymen in the Syrian community. There are those for whom figures like R’ Mansour and R’ Harari Raful are tremendous mashpi’im, and as such, they’ve adopted more Litvish manners and have thankfully, become kovea itim, albeit in a distinctly Ashkenazic model.
However, I don’t believe the rank-and-file are such lamdanim. Culturally, for Syrians, there simply is not the same emphasis on learning and cultivation of critical thinking faculties as among Ashkenazim. Men of the stature of R’ Uziel, R’ Nissim, R’ HaLevi, R’ Yosef, R’ Messas, R’ Hazzan, etc. haven’t generally been produced by the SY community.
R’ Abadi in Lakewood is a tremendous posek and talmid hakham. R’ Elie Abadie is rabbi of the Safra Synagogue in Manhattan, a product of RIETS, and a medical doctor. The Sephardic Institute has been fortunate to have the leadership of R’ Dr. Shammah (an expert in Tanakh) and R’ Dr. Hidary (who has now gone onto Shearith Israel, and is an academic of repute).