The difference is the old one was a direct drive and the new one uses gear reduction with a planetary gearset inside it. Noise really about the same. The planetary ring gear is plastic and not liking that but have to say they don't break, at least mine haven't and now on five cars and forever. I simply pull them apart on the rare occasion starter is out, regrease and clean and throw back together. Any troubles I've had there were due to less than sufficient interface that bolts onto the studs and not the starter itself. The planets make it more of a high torque starter, they spin up instantly.
They CAN sort of fake you out that you have starter issues when you don't, they'll sometimes spin halfheartedly, sounding kind of funny, instead of the click you're used to with the direct drive ones which either kick in completely or do not spin up at all. That can send you chasing starter issues when it is commonly the battery or connections.
For once and for Ford, a pretty solid part there. If you have a unitized plastic bolt on interface that includes all wires look at that first, usually the cause of troubles, the plastic melts if one that the battery-to-alt main charging cable runs through it. That can cause the half-power spinup I just referred to.