The Ford V10 is a high revving engine (for a truck engine). It produces decent power, but mainly at relatively high rpms, and it does make noise when doing so. Provided you don't mind the noise, it will get you up any hill or mountain in decent shape--though of course no motorhome is going to keep up with a modern passenger car in such situations.
The current models may be a bit better than you experienced due to the newer 6 speed transmission introduced a year or so ago. The gears in it are more evenly spaced, particularly in the upper gears, so the downshifts should not be quite so dramatic. There are also noticeable differences between motorhome makers in how well they isolate the engine noise from the cabin.
The Chevy is a little less rev happy, I believe.
Needless to say, a diesel pusher will be noticeably quieter, partly because the engine runs at a much lower speed and partly (not a small part) because it's much farther away from you when you're driving.
