SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

Attempting to cater to tastes of younger, savvy Web users, Edmunds.com rolled out a test version of its website Wednesday.

Officials described the site’s new features as being inspired by modern Internet shopping conveniences not typically associated with vehicles. They also mentioned the new site also should be accessible through an iPhone application that is expected to become available through iTunes in the coming weeks.

“Consumers are being exposed to rapidly improving retail experiences in other categories,” Edmunds.com chief executive officer Jeremy Anwyl began.

“Consider the seamlessness of downloading a book to your Kindle, or music to your iPod. I know that a car is not a book. But watch a Gen Y-er — someone who has only experienced the last few years of high-value retailing — try to buy a car. It is edifying,” he continued.

With Anwyl’s example as a guide, site officials went to work. Some of the new highlights include:

—The Edmunds.com Car Finder can allow vehicle shoppers to discover units of likely interest based on price point, body style and/or features such as iPod connectivity, fuel efficiency ratings and other personal choices.

—The Edmunds.com Affordability Calculator aims to answer the age-old question, “What vehicle can I afford to buy?” and generates a shopping list based on real-world vehicle preferences and budget considerations.

—Pre-production vehicle listings are geared to allow shoppers to easily compare offerings to determine whether to wait for a future model before making a new-vehicle purchase.

—A new save function can allows site visitors to privately collect their research from any Web site, and to make notes.

—New-vehicle inventory listings can allow shoppers to quickly learn where to buy the vehicles that most appeal to them.

—Virtual window stickers are meant to clarify which fees should be paid — and how much they should be — for easy comparison at the dealership.

—Enhanced dealer ratings and reviews can measure dealership responsiveness to modern shopping practices and expectations.

“For many years, our Web site has essentially looked the same, but we’ve been relentlessly working behind the scenes, rebuilding the infrastructure to allow us to improve upon the Edmunds.com visitor experience,” Edmunds.com vice president Eugene Park insisted.

“Now we’ve got some great new tools and features in place, and we are ready for today’s vehicle-buyers to put them into practice,” Park added.

In the coming weeks, Edmunds.com plans to test four different home pages to see if buyers prefer to be led through tasks, inspired by photos and graphics, presented with a remarkably simple display, or have an experience similar to the one that Edmunds.com has offered in the past.

“There are some nice features that will be live at launch, but the most important feature is under the skin,” Anwyl insisted.

“The new site will support the rapid prototyping and simultaneous testing of new concepts. And we plan to launch a blizzard of new initiatives to find out what works,” he promised.

Users can review a preliminary look at the changes now at beta.edmunds.com.