Why aren't you moving? The ambulances, beaches, and V8s changing our roads

Ever wonder why some people don't move for ambulances? Or what makes Port Aransas the perfect beach getaway? Or perhaps why the Dodge Durango still commands respect after 14 years with the same design? We tackle all these questions and more in this fascinating exploration of automotive culture and travel destinations.

We kick things off with a detailed breakdown of ambulance manufacturing and classification. These life-saving vehicles are constructed in two distinct phases by different manufacturers - from the initial chassis to the specialized emergency equipment integration. The four types of ambulances in the United States each serve specific purposes, from advanced life support to patient transfers. And yes, before modern ambulances, converted Buick and Pontiac station wagons served as emergency transport, with medics hunched over in cramped quarters. Our passionate reminder: when you see those flashing lights, move aside immediately - someone's life literally depends on your actions.

Looking for the perfect coastal getaway that isn't overcrowded? Port Aransas offers the ideal middle ground between massive tourist destinations and tiny beach towns. With 18 miles of drivable coastline on Mustang Island, exceptional birding opportunities, and surprisingly good marlin fishing thanks to the nearby continental shelf, this Gulf Coast gem has something for everyone. Family-friendly amenities include Roberts Point Park for the little ones, while nature enthusiasts will love the 1,250-foot boardwalk at the Leonabel Turnbill Birding Center. Just 3.5 hours from Houston, it's an accessible escape with both a ferry ride and beautiful coastal driving.

We wrap up with our hands-on review of the 2025 Dodge Durango RT. Despite maintaining essentially the same design since 2011, this muscular SUV continues to impress with its bold styling, bronze wheels, and powerful 5.7-liter V8 pushing 360 horsepower. With an impressive 8,700-pound towing capacity and comfortable SRT seating, it's clear why this three-row SUV still attracts buyers despite newer competition. Check it out if you're shopping for a vehicle with traditional American muscle and substantial utility.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Ambulance Manufacturing and Types
• 4:14 Get Out of the Way
• 4:54 Port Aransas Beach Getaway
• 9:08 2025 Dodge Durango Review

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:04

time now for jeff's car culture you bet this is going to be informative for you. We all you see ambulances going down the road, people sometimes in the back of an ambulance.

Speaker 2: 0:14

No, sometimes they don't get out of the way and it's very frustrating and it kind of ticks me off that somebody's in there for a reason. So ambulances are made all over the world, with different countries, different regions having their own manufacturing, their own specifications. Typically, ambulances are made in two stages. The first manufacturer takes the chassis, the second modifies the vehicle to include the necessary emergency equipment. In the United States, ambulances are classified into four types, each with different specifications and purposes. Several companies manufacture ambulances in the US, including American Emergency Vehicles, Braun Industries and Horton Ambulance, among others. Those are the primary ones in the US. There's several across the world. These companies play a crucial role in providing emergency medical services with the necessary vehicle, ensuring that the patients receive prompt and effective care during their medical emergency. The customization options offered by these manufacturers enable the EMS providers to design ambulances that meet their unique needs and their budgets.

Speaker 2: 1:16

The first stage of manufacturing involves the initial construction of the chassis, which forms the foundational structure of the ambulance. This stage typically entails the fabrication of a light or medium-duty truck, chassis, cabs or full-size van. Reputable automobile companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Ford, Toyota are often chosen for this purpose in providing the reliable base for the subsequent modifications. The second stage of manufacturing involves modifying the chosen vehicle meet the specification requirements of an ambulance. This stage is carried out by a second manufacturer known as the second stage manufacturer. Go figure, Mike. They take the incomplete vehicle lacking a body or interior behind the driver's seat and transform it into a full-fledged ambulance. This process can be done through two methods coach building or modular system integration. In the US there are four types. Type 1 ambulances are mounted on a truck chassis with a custom module on the back. They're used primarily for advanced life support and rescue work. They're available in four-wheel drive and are a good choice for difficult driving conditions.

Speaker 1: 2:24

Oh my God, there's Danny's Dodge van that we all used to go around in Danny.

Speaker 2: 2:28

I love him. He's a great guy. Type 2 ambulances are typically van-style vehicles with basic patient care features. They're used for hospital-to-hospital transport and can also be used in a 911 rescue work. They offer better gas mileage than the other types of ambulances, specifically diesel. These Type 3 are built using a van chassis, with the roof raised. Who hasn't raised a roof in a van? Come on. Type 3 ambulances are similar to Type 1, but use a van cutaway chassis instead of a truck chassis. Look at that.

Speaker 1: 3:02

That one right there. That's a short bus any way. You look at it there you go.

Speaker 2: 3:05

The cab and body are integrated, with a larger opening between the cab and module, allowing for easier movement in items and the personnel. These ambulances are available in two-wheel drive using regular gasoline. Now the fourth version, or the Type 4 they're talking about, is for patient transfers and smaller vehicles For smaller environments, small crowds and things of like that nature. But that's a Pontiac right there on the screen.

Speaker 2: 3:29

My favorite is this last one. Check this out. That's a Buick baby. That's a Buick. Now, for all intents and purposes, be cautious around ambulances. Get out of the way when you see them coming. Leave your blood donation at the Red Cross and not on the highway.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Very nice. Well, I have to tell you that back in my day it was things like the Buick, the Pontiac, any kind of a station wagon, the Cadillac.

Speaker 2: 3:53

Yeah, you bet.

Speaker 1: 3:55

The actual medic that's back there, of course, the patient's laying down, the medic's all hunched over because the roof is so low, yep.

Speaker 2: 4:03

Exactly, but be careful when you're out there. A little bit of information, if you ever wonder, and just check it out.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Driving destinations. Mr Mars, this is the second week and now we're going to go way down the coast of Port of Ransas.

Speaker 3: 4:22

Hey send your candidate hey, so candidate, hey, hey, so yeah. So I thought summertime, it's beginning of summertime, the kids are out of school, everybody wants to talk about going to the beach. Sometimes you don't want to go to a big town like Galveston or Corpus Christi, but you don't want to go to a little town like Surfside or something, so you might want to look at something like Port Aransas. Now, this is located on the Gulf of America.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Now let me ask you something. Pardon me for interrupting, but did you name it Port A, or is that their marketing thing?

Speaker 3: 4:53

That's their marketing thing. It is Port A yeah.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Yeah, port Armstrong.

Speaker 3: 4:57

Could be. No, it's been like that for a long time. The first time I went down there I picked up an assignment for a magazine to go down there to get some boats of marlin fishing and I didn't know you could do marlin fishing out of Port A.

Speaker 1: 5:08

I didn't know there were marlin in the Gulf of America.

Speaker 3: 5:10

Well, they're not big, like you see in Mexico on TV and stuff, but they have them and they use them. They're mini marlins, mini marlins. So anyway, first thing you're going to notice and you're going to think about, of course, is the Port Aransas Beach. It's located, actually, on Mustang Island. It's 18 miles long.

Speaker 3: 5:30

It is a drivable beach. It's another beach that you can actually drive your car on, you can rent golf carts, you can do beach stuff, beach stuff. Yeah, they actually have a sandcastle building contest on that beach down there, because the way the sand is with the water and the moisture content is really good for building sand castles and doing things like that building a snow fort, that's right. So, uh, the other thing if you're not really into the sand stuff and you're a birding person, you want to go to the leonabel turnbill birding center in port orandas. This is a big location, uh, it's on the centralway, so you get to see a lot of different birds, including the rosette spoonbill, the black-bellied whistleduck and the cinnamon teal.

Speaker 2: 6:14

Hey, you know what? Do you know what kind of bird this is? You just shot the bird.

Speaker 1: 6:19

I've seen that bird before.

Speaker 3: 6:21

Yeah, the back of a car, yeah, and they got like a 1,250-foot-long boardwalk, oh boy, and you can see alligators, along with other different wildlife. Now you can also go to Fisherman's Wharf. Now, this is, of course, a place where they have a lot of boats to go out deep-sea fishing. This is where I was talking about. I was surprised that you could actually go out marlin fishing Not the big ones, but there is plenty of marlin. You don't have to go out very far because of the continental shelf. Deep water is a lot closer here. Then you can go to the Port Aransas Museum in the middle of the day, when it gets good and hot. This is housed in a 1900s kit house. It's got lots of history. Is that the kit from Sears? It didn't say which area. It's got lots of history.

Speaker 2: 7:05

Is that the kit from Sears?

Speaker 3: 7:06

It didn't say which fair is from? Yeah, but you know it's got a lot of history about maritime history, sport, fishing, local culture, and they actually have a fourth-order Fresnel lens from the Lydia Ann Lighthouse. That's a pretty big deal about it being that kind of a from original lighthouses. Now, if you really want to go do something out in the outside, you can go kayaking and paddle boarding. You can launch from the lighthouse lakes paddling trail now this is texas first designated paddling trail. Uh, you can also go walking around and get this thing, but it's about 6.8 miles that you can cover in this area and they also have a windsurfing contest down here.

Speaker 3: 7:45

Then you can also go over to mustang island state park and, uh, 3,950 acres, five miles of coastline really a nice place to go. I went there once to shoot some pictures of a truck and it was a beautiful place. Uh. Then for playtime for the little ones, roberts point park now this is in Port Aransas area, 50-acre waterfront park and it's got playgrounds, it's got fountains, it's got all kinds of things that little kids can do. So this is a really place. If you want to go out and get out and you want to be in a town smaller than Galveston Corpus or Corpus, then this could be a good choice because it's right across the way from Corpus.

Speaker 3: 8:25

Yeah, it's about 30 miles and you go over to the island through Aransas Pass there's a causeway yeah, I didn't know any of that the other end of it, coming in from Houston, which is about 3.5 hours away, there's a ferry you get to ride. It's smaller than the Galveston Ferry, it's only about 20 cars well, that's an interesting thing.

Speaker 1: 8:46

Back in the day, that's what we did. We didn't have a whole lot of money and we wanted to take the kids somewhere. We always went to San Antonio. It was a great place for us to take the kids. Here's an option, a beach option that's three and a half hours away. Easy drive, Easy drive. A nice coastal drive too. Hey, the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show will continue after these brief messages.

Speaker 1: 9:08

You own a car Time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2025 Dodge Durango. Final assembly location Detroit, michigan. Ladies and gentlemen, comes in these trim levels the GT, the RT and the SRT. I had the RT, 20th anniversary, premium, all-wheel drive 345. It's a standard SUV Three rows seats, six people.

Speaker 1: 9:46

Exterior changes from last model year. It was all new in 2011. 2011. Yeah, yeah, yeah, do you see how old that is? It's old, but you know what it still looks good, I like it.

Speaker 1: 10:01

Exterior features Bold, aggressive, american muscle style front fascia, built-in hood scoop with Hemi graphics and 345 badging. Bronze colored wheels set this RT apart. Shape of the rear lighting reminds of the Dodge Charger design. What I liked this is an SUV with attitude. Well, that's not the one that I drove, but that's the basic one, right, right, the one that I drove has attitude and it's funny what you can do with paint. Oh, absolutely All right. What could use improvement? I would love to see an evolved redesign. I mean, this thing is what? 13, 14 years old? Yeah, so there's the bronze wheels that I was talking about. Interior highlights Even though it's a 14-year-old design, the dash layout beats newer competitors. Steering wheel controls are the best SRT seating with the 345 logo on the seat back. Comfortable and supportive buckets. Rear volume Sorry, did I say rear? Yep, I didn't mean to say rear. The radio volume. And tuning knobs for the suspension? No, for the superior sound system is good. I can't even read my own writing here.

Speaker 2: 11:33

I don't feel so bad. You know, you should pre-read these before you go on the air. I should.

Speaker 1: 11:39

I want you to look at how I did that. What the hell is that you know? What that said it was uh, that's what it says, that's what it does Cargo room, large. What I liked about it comfort and the control functions, I think, because I'm just guessing now my fumble mumble you want to borrow my glasses.

Speaker 1: 12:00

now I got glasses on. That's not the problem. Sight is not the problem, it's brain malfunction and clearly it didn't transfer to this right-hand writing. Implement 5.7 liter V8, 360 horsepower, 390 pound-feet of torque, 8-speed automatic transmission. Get this. Tow rating 8,700 pounds, wow. Haul rating 1,350. Let's go camping, let's go racing, let's just go and do it somewhere. 14 miles per gallon city. Oh boy, 22 highways combined to 17. I actually got 18.7 because, no, kimberly, I did not burn the tires off the back like so many journalists do.

Speaker 3: 12:40

No hauling donkeys or anything. No, none of that. 1,300.

Speaker 1: 12:42

18.7 miles per gallon over 329.9 miles. What I like the well-matched power with the drivetrain, all-wheel drive with an independent suspension, rocks it Ride and handling smoothness. It's good. What could use improvement? It's a little on the heavy side but it is big 5,313 pounds, that's two and a half tons, my friend. Base trim price 54. $495. Price is tested. Trim price $54,495. Price is tested yikes $72,460. You can get in the V6 version for $41,995.

Speaker 2: 13:22

You had a nice one. I've been seeing a lot more of them since you had that yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:26

Competitors Ford Expedition starts at $57,025, which which, by the way, is all new for 25, but no v8s does have 440 horsepower. The chevy suburban starts at 615. It has the 6.2 liter v8 with 420 horsepower and the toyota sequoia starts at 62425 with a 3.4 liter hybrid V6. But get this turns out 437 horsepower. Oh man, yeah. So there are some competitors out there. I invite you to check them all out. But good old American grunt, there's nothing wrong with that.

Speaker 2: 14:06

And they make a nice interior.

Speaker 1: 14:08

Even on the pickups they do, yeah, they do All right front. There's nothing wrong with that. They make a nice interior. Even on the pickups they do, yeah, they do all right. That's my review of the 2025 dodge durango rt. Hey.