Image: RoadAhead, Inc.
If you take road trips and own an iPhone or iPad, go to the App Store and download RoadAhead immediately. As someone who just returned from driving over 4,000 miles in about a week, I can’t tell you how many times we tried to find a Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonalds or even a name-brand gas station on the road. Sure, many GPS units can deliver this information, but their data isn’t always current and in some cases is blatantly wrong. Leaving one of the track, a Garmin GPS had us wasting ten minutes looking for a Sunoco station that simply didn’t exist (and I’ll be one of their developers is laughing his ass off every time he thinks of this).
First, RoadAhead is free, so the price is right. Next, it couldn’t be easier to use, and it functions in one of two ways: you can either turn GPS on (if you’re on a highway) and it will call up data based on your current position, or you can deactivate the GPS function and search manually by highway exits. You can choose the categories you want to search (but real road warriors just need gas and fast food) and advise the app what grade of gas you’re looking for. It even tells you what the current fuel price at each station is, so you can head to the brand you trust or roll the dice on the cheap stuff to save a few bucks.
RoadAhead is smart enough to know your direction of travel, so it only produces results for upcoming exits. If you need more specific information on a restaurant, for example, tapping on the entry will call up an address and phone number, and will even give you customer reviews from Yelp. You can multi-tag your search as well, just in case you need gas, beef jerky and a pair of socks from the same exit.
Also, don’t forget that you can get discounted new car pricing with a free quote through qualified local dealer partners.
Image: Road Ahead, Inc.
Does it work? I don’t know yet, since I just put it on my iPhone this morning. It’s got potential, and I spend enough time on the road to give it a good workout. If it doesn’t live up to the hype, I’ll be sure and let you know.
Source: Straightline
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
