Since I don't want to spend the stupid amount of money it costs for an Android Auto head unit, I've been using Automate beta on my phone. It's a pretty good imitation of AA, but it can't integrate Google apps the way AA does, so some things can be a little clunky. Looks nice and is easy to read quickly while driving, but it doesn't really do anything special.
Right now I wouldn't invest money in AA. A docked phone connected to your stereo does pretty much the same things, just not quite as car tailored as AA.