Best Luxury Car Buying Guide Apps For The iPad

Car buying brochures/guides have just taken a giant leap forward. Leading the pack of iPad digital car guides is the Audi A8 app. It’s a masterpiece in digital ingenuity in the palm of your hands. The app launches with film footage showcasing the car’s sleek design. Ok, raise your hand if you just experienced a case of car envy? Taking advantage of formatting for the iPad, the app features a drop-down menu style navigation w/ an accompanying voice-over. The voice-over feature really makes browsing the app a personal experience, minus the salesperson. The app offers a build your dream car option in the “Configure Your A8 Now” feature. Potential buyers, you can choose the exterior/interior paint and finish and the wheel mounts. The app even lets you save your creation in a personal garage. The app also includes some unique interactive selector controls: headlights ambiance, driver assistance animations, Audi drive select and the quarto experience. Rounding out the app’s features are the dealership locator and appointment scheduler. What really make this a standout app are the narratives and interactive controls. The Audi A8 digital buyer’s guide is an exciting showroom app.

Next up is the Mercedes GLK Class app. This app has a super opening sequence that really showcases the luxury of the car. On the iPad version, its formatted drop-down menu style places all the app features at your fingertips. The app uses a numbered circular button control design to showcase the vehicles features. Its interactive interior/exterior color and wheel mount selectors make it a must-have before you visit the dealership. If you have ever dreamed of sitting in a Mercedes, this app gets you one step closer. The only drawback is that the app does not have an accompanying background audio track to add energy to the browsing experience.

Rolls Royce has always been associated with elegance. The Rolls Royce Ghost app is just as sleek as the vehicle. The app uses tab bar navigation featuring: design your Ghost, a media library, a website portal and a dealer locator. The app's best feature is its “Design Your Ghost” option. Its interactive exterior/interior color and wheel mount selectors really take advantage of formatting for the iPad. Why go paper brochure? The app’s manual/auto 360 view delivers an amazing browsing experience. The app even lets you save your “Ghost” design. If you love vehicle still images, the gallery’s collection is top notch. The app's only drawback is its lack of a background audio track. For the look of elegance, look no further the Rolls Royce Ghost app.

The BMW X3 app is another app that hits the mark for a digital buyer's guide. The app features a futuristic background audio track. Taking advantage of iPad formatting, the app offers a touch 360 view, swipe navigation, tap/button/pinch zoom/rotate and some very innovative animations. If you're dreaming of owning a BMW, you can build your own BMW X3 with the exterior/interior color and wheel mount selectors. For an up close and personal look at the car features, the app uses circular tap button to showcase the car’s interior design and options. Rounding out the app’s features are the "request a test drive" and "order a brochure" options. Although the app does not include continuous background audio tracks, the BMW X3 app is a great way to experience the vehicle without a trip to the dealership.

The Mercedes AMG Experience app is a buyer’s guide to one of the top car manufacturers in automotive industry. The app uses cover flow navigation w/hidden animations to showcase the makes/models of the Mercedes brand. Featuring a swipe controlled overview with exterior detailing images, the app successfully brings the showroom to your fingertips. Sporting an interactive 360 degree view with exterior color selector, the app is sure to keep you tapping. The app also features a collection of make/model performance videos; however, the videos do appear a bit grainy. While this app is European, it does offer an English translation. The Mercedes AMG is a guilty indulgence for the wishful thinkers or a useful tool for serious buyers.

The next app on the list is the Jeep Grand Cherokee app. The app launches with a nostalgic look at the concept of “American made" ending in with a showcase of the Grand Cherokee. The app cleverly uses the swipe feature to reveal the new Grand Cherokee; although at first glance it’s not apparent that the swipe is needed. If you’re still undecided about the Jeep, the app includes a series of exterior/interior 360 degree views for a closer look at the car’s features. The app also features video commentaries and a car image gallery. Rounding out the app's features are a dealership locator and a "request a brochure" option. The app's only drawback is its limited use of iPad formatting.

If you prefer "American made", then the 2012 Mustang app is the king of kings. The app uses a similar navigation design as the Jeep (Grand Cherokee) app. The app features interactive exterior/interior paint and interior ambient light selectors and a 360 degree view. While the app does offer videos showcasing the many looks and style of the mustang, most do not have accompanying background audio tracks. For an up close and personal look, the app features a slew of detailing images. The app is a great paperless way to experience the new 2012 Mustang. The app’s drawbacks are its limited iPad formatting and its lack of background audio tracks and voice-over narratives. This makes the app seem a little flat in its presentation.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta app is a successful transition from print to digital. Forget the paper brochure; this app has some really stunning images of the car. The app leverages the iPad formatting, offering interactive car controls: interior ambient lighting and exterior color selectors and interior 360 degree views. These features alone make this app a must have for the Fiesta buyers. Rounding out the app’s offerings are the car gallery, dealership locator, check inventory and a get a quote features. Although the app lacks the energy that I would expect from an iPad app, it beats driving to the dealer.

The Honda CR-Z app makes the list for its awesome opening animation. The app uses a swipe navigation with background audio effects that add initial excitement to the app. The app's "browse before you buy" approach is less energetic than some of the other apps on the list. Using circular tap button navigation controls, the app highlights car features/options and offers custom color selections. The app does successfully showcase the car’s design and features. However, its limited iPad formatting and lack of background audio tracks and voice-over narrations make the app seem flat in its presentation.

The Saab app takes a different approach to showcasing the Saab vehicle features. The app uses a cover flow navigation control allowing for quick swipes and browsing. The app’s 360 degree view offers exterior paint/wheel mount selection, but it is a little sluggish in refreshing the image. The app also includes: Saab news feeds from around the world, streaming “YouTube” Saab videos, and an image gallery. The app falls a bit short in presentation; its limited use of formatting for the iPad really leaves the app lacking in energy and style.