I did like the 1.6 diesels at about 129 BHP. That is about the power needed for safe overtakes now. Of course, the Mercedes 1.3 has 160 BHP and some 1.0 litre Fords are getting high BHP. I thought many years ago that 2 litre would always be enough for a road car. I used to do some long drives in a Peugeot 206 1.4 diesel which was ideal but low powered at that time.
These 3 cylinder engines many cars have now are good on fumes and economy.
At the moment, my 2 litre does more MPG than a 1 litre Toyota Aygo my Brother bought.
Next car may be a lower CC as markets change.
There is no big advantage of a large engine as the traffic just keeps speed down wherever you drive. My average going to Southampton is about 40mph.
Birmingham on motorway is fairly fast even with the variable motorway speed limits.
This time around, i did get a car much smaller than usual as its only for 2 of us and suitcases now.