It might depend on where one lives and how one drives.Good info.
Needs a mod for the cylinder deactivation.
If I drove that truck in FL, I'd never notice the issue. As roads are fast here and the 70MPH speed limit seems only a suggestion. The truck did well at higher speeds.
I get your point though, cylinder de-activation seems unnecessary for MPG and does create some lifespan and exhaust sound/chassis vibration issues.
Ford had to increase the robustness of the latest 5.0's piston rings just to keep the engine alive with cylinder deactivation.