System and method of cylinder deactivation for optimal engine torque-speed map operation

A system adapted to optimize fuel consumption in a vehicle when changing from a current operating state to a target operating state, comprising:

• a current operating state module including data indicative of a vehicle current operating state based on at least two of power demand, engine speed, engine torque, gear number, and vehicle speed;
• a terrain variation module including data indicative of terrain variation data;
• a target operating state module containing a vehicle target operating state based on factors including desired torque based on said terrain variation data;
• an active cylinder module containing a determination of an active cylinder distribution to minimize fuel consumption based on said determined vehicle target operating state;
• and
• a transmission gear recommendation module containing a transmission gear shift recommendation in view of the determined active cylinder distribution and the vehicle target operating state.