The UOA I posted doesn't seem to indicate a real problem. Blackstone doesn't seem to think there is a major issue either and they didn't report that the oil was "shot" as someone interjected in this thread. The other EcoBoost 3.5 UOAs I've seen have a tendency to have slightly lower Al and Fe wear levels, but there were a few that had similar numbers (with similar engine mileage) and the Blackstone analysts weren't too alarmed based on their comments. Again, viscosity levels are about comparable (the numbers in my UOA are actually slightly better than some of the others I've seen, and it points to a mid to heavy weight 20 oil).
About 10-13 years ago, I would have been very AR regarding Group IV vs Group III basetock synthetics, but today I don't really care if it is "real" synthetic or not as long as it meets/exceeds the OEM specifications and how expensive it is to purchase. For my GM LNF (and all of the Corvettes out there), that's GM4718M which is basically any "synthetic" 5W-30 out on the shelf. I don't plan to spend the extra money on Amsoil or any of the Extended Performance synthetics unless it is for my Ducati which has genuinely special oil requirements. Given the reported tendency for GTDI engines to have excessive fuel dilution (versus normal shearing) requiring more frequent oil changes, you can use the best $20/qt Group V basestock 5W-30 synthetic oil on the market but it won't protect your engine any better than a $3/qt 5W-30 non-synthetic oil if fuel has diluted your $20/qt oil to a 5W-20, same as the $3/qt oil. I think the more important factor for our EcoBoost 3.5L V6 is to find something that can handle the fuel dilution and still protect the engine at regular or longer intervals.
Looking at Ford's real performance engines in the US on their street cars (where the intended usage is on the track), they use 5W-50 synthetic, not 5W-20 or 5W-30 (e.g. 5.8L in 13-14 GT500, and the 5.4L V8 in the GT). I saw an ad in Top Gear magazine where the 2017 Ford GT is supposed to use Castrol Edge Supercar, which is a 10W-60 synthetic, in its EcoBoost 3.5L V6. I'd be more curious to see how these heavier synthetics hold up in viscosity and TBN under normal intervals.
For gear and manual trans oil, I usually go with Redline since the price isn't too bad and it's not something I change as frequently as engine oil.