Swapping from a 2E to the A-series engine has been well documented and known to be a good swap. Especially if the donor car was from the same market as yours (emissions issues, left/right hand drive configuration, availability of parts, etc.) From a performance standpoint - the 4A and 7A will be significantly more powerful than the 2E.
The 4A and 7A can be treated as identical swaps - as far as fabrication and wiring goes - only difference is their displacement (1.6L for the 4A, 1.8L for the 7A). A-series engines are also known for being exceptionally reliable - especially compared to the ZZ series. Keep in mind that the A-series had more than 20 years of constant development - the 4A series were produced continuously from 1980-2002, 22 years right there. They might not be as bulletproof as the S-series of Toyota engines, but they will come very close but gain in areas concerning fuel economy and efficiency.
Doesn't mean that the ZZ-series of engine are bad. The engines have a couple of nice features in comparison to the A-series:
- more power for similar displacement
- better fuel economy
- timing chain instead of timing belt
- some models have variable valve timing for increased power/efficiency
- returnless fuel systems (emissions reasons)
- no EGR required, self-EGR via valve timing
- considerably lighter in weight as they are all aluminum
- more compact design
But with such significant changes, some new issue were introduced. As you mentioned, some models had issues with heavy oil consumption, that could potentially lead to engine failure. The engine itself is an interference design - so in the unlikely event that the timing chain fails - the engine will destroy itself. The A-series with a belt failure - would just stop running. The ZZ-series is also noiser, due to their more advanced valvetrain design.
The 1ZZ/3ZZ/4ZZ are all very similar - in the same vein as the 4A/7A engines - just changes in displacement: 1ZZ = 1.8L, 3ZZ = 1.6L, 4ZZ = 1.4L The 2ZZ-GE is completely different - some parts are common, but for the most part, I would consider this a different engine all together.
Swap wise - these would be more complicated than the A-series, especially if you get a donor with variable valve timing. Still possible, but be a pretty advanced project compared to swapping in a A-series.
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