Saar: Currently available only for the Yaris in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, the app is slated to spread its wings across Toyota’s entire product portfolio and all other cities in India.

Let’s create a valid picture first to understand what is Toyota trying to achieve. Say, you’ve got a budget assigned for a car and there are several options to choose from in the market. And, the biggest hurdle is how to differentiate amongst those, especially if you are not a car bore like us! For many, the first point of elimination comes from the test-driving experience and that’s where Toyota’s new Test Drive App comes in to play.

The Japanese carmaker wants to hook-up the prospect customers with their cars in whole new level. The application help’s you explore the features of the car before you head out for a test-drive. It connects to the test-drive vehicle via an OBD (On-Board Diagnostic Device). Based on the driver’s response, this connection helps in triggering different features of the vehicle automatically which makes the whole test-driving experience a much more engaging one.

The Test Drive App is installed on an iPad, is configured to work with car’s OBD and paired with the car’s audio system. This pairing helps the application to monitor what the driver is doing and based on his/her responses triggers audio explanations about the features in the car. Place yourself in the car and you’ll agree that in this fashion, you’ll be able to understand the features more effectively as compared to just being verbally told by a salesperson.

The application is currently available only for the Toyota Yaris but will rope in all other Toyota models currently on sale in India. It is currently available in two languages – Hinda and English. However, Toyota is in the process to add several other language options. As of now, prospect customers in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi can make use of the Test Drive Application. It will soon be put into use across other cities in India.