['97ventureowner]

Being considered "old school" I always went by the notion that the more cylinders you had, the less work the engine had to do. I always took that into consideration when looking at vehicles that had either a 6 or 8 cylinder engine as an option. But with the technology that has embraced the automotive industry in the last 20 to 25 years, that idea doesn't hold as much water as it once did. Now with computer controlled fuel delivery, spark management,engine configurations, and other computer/sensor aided functions, a smaller engine can operate with as much power and efficiency as it's larger counterparts did years ago.
To add to that discussion, look at how many vehicles offer a 8 cylinder option in their vehicles compared to 25 - 30 years ago. Now it pretty much boils down to a 6 cylinder or 4 cylinder option for most vehicles. I guess you could take the old argument of 8 vs. 6 and apply it to 6 vs. 4 . I would choose a 6 cylinder using the old adage that it will probably work less than a 4 cylinder to get the same output, and therefore last longer. Case in point , look at vehicles used for utilities, police and taxis. Most if not all use a 6 cylinder engine, ( where an 8 cylinder is not available) and they get good results over time ( many reach over 300,000 miles while in service.) You don't see too many 4 cylinder engines in similar service that can go that long without requiring some kind of overhaul.