agree the V6 is an excellent alternative to the I4. From what I've seen, it provides nearly identical if not even better gas mileage than the 4 cylinder does. Plus, it has a ton more power. I've never driven a 7th gen but I've been in both a 4 and 6 while it was being test driven (given a workout). The 4 cyl didn't seem to have much of a power advantage over my 6th gen. I can say that with my 4 cylinder, I wish I'd have gotten something more powerful. The other day I was going up a steep hill and my exit was coming up in half a mile. I still had to pass a CR-V and 4th @ 70 just wasn't cutting it...had to drop it into 3rd @ 5000RPM just to get anywhere. Plus I only get 22MPG on the average...whereas some of you V6 guys are getting 25+ city, 30-40 highway (and we're not talking about driving on 60PSI tires).Maybe I just like power or something. Maybe it's because of all the hills around here, or maybe I just reallly hate revs. I don't really know how the rest of you drive, maybe you can go 5000RPM daily without worrying. For me, if I have to go that high I consider the car to be needing in the power dept. Around town though, yes the I4 is perfectly acceptable. If you live in a flat area, the 4 cyl is all you'll ever need. If you're climbing 11,000 feet mountain passes in Colorado at 80MPH, well...good luck
