Replaced my 2016 Highlander LE Plus FWD. No more torque steer with the AWD! The '18 AWD SE is much quieter on the highway, I think because the of the tires. Although the SE has thinner sidwalls, being 19 inch, the softer rubber soaks up alligator pavement better, even though the suspension is a bit tighter than the '16. Steering is tighter on the SE, also. The leather is a nice upgrade. Overall, the '18 simply feels like a much more elegant vehicle, and looks better, too. I bought each of them with about a 15% discount, and the '16 held 80% of it's purchase price, and I put over 20,000 miles on it. I'm happy with that, and very happy I made the swap. I was considering Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC, Mazda 9, and a couple of the Volvo's. Audi and Mercedes were both significantly more expensive, and a bit too small. I didn't want the 4 cylinder Turbo of the Mazda (although the vehicle rode and handled fine), and the Volvo's were a bit too expensive, and the unknowns about reliability gave me concerns. The stiffer suspension of the Toyota SE combined with AWD and nearly 300 HP from a NA V6, as well as the big discount, and I couldn't be happier with the decision. I'm glad I waited a couple of years for the new transmission to have a bit of history, and couldn't be happier.
