East Midlands Ambulance Service in the United Kingdom, has just got delivery of a very special ambulance from the commercial vehicles department of Volkswagen. This is not the only Volkswagen Amarok ambulance in service, as there are quite a few others. But, what differentiates this one from the rest of its Amarok brothers, is its 4MOTION all-wheel drive system, system that VW uses in many of its passenger vehicles. Also, this ambulance comes with a snorkel system for its engine. According to VW, this is the only ambulance with these salient features. The primary reason to equip this life-saving emergency vehicle with these features, is to allow it to reach places where other ambulances can’t tread.
The Amarok ambulance is originally based on the Amarok pick-up. As you can see in the above pictures, the AWD system, gifts this ambulance with superior traction even in inclement weather conditions. That means, no matter how snowy or slippery the road surface might be, this ambulance will be sure-footed at all times. The other special addition to this vehicle, is the snorkel that’s been fitted to it. The snorkel allows the engine to breathe, even when this ambulance has to ford through a stream which could be up to 500mm (19.6 inches) deep. Apart from these special features, this ambulance also has the usual items that you will find in almost any ambulance. These include a load area for carrying the patient and emergency medical equipments.
The Volkswagen Amarok ambulance is based on the standard Amorak pick-up.
This particular example is currently the only one of its kind in existence, anywhere in the world. However, according to a VW official, the AWD and snorkel-equipped ambulance has been garnering quite a lot of interest from other ambulance operators, as well. It is expected that a few more of these, very versatile life-saving vehicles, will join more operators, soon.