The mach e system has always gotten great reviews. Also, the f150, though the screen is different sized, has the same system technically so you can always try it out in there. It's def faster and more user friendly than sync 3, but ti think the natural voice recognition is the best part, though I've never got to try it.
But hey, if you want hvac buttons, you can always go navigator. The base nav is roughly the same price as a fully loaded ltd, kr, or platty expy, and the only thing your giving up is 8 speakers.