I was in the hunt for an Expy before I settled down to the F150. I found that the interior space (READ: leg room) was greater in the Ford. This to me is far greater of a pull than gas mileage, etc. I prefer the interior of the Expy over the Sub regardless.
I'm not a fan of the cylinder deactivation mainly because if you have more than 2 people in the vehicle, carrying a load, pulling a trailer, or you're not on flat ground, then the deactivation won't happen anyway.
I'm also a Ford loyal (3 Explorers and now my F150) so I'm biased anyway.