Patent ID: 7354373

Claim:
A drive unit for a four-wheel-drive vehicle, comprising: (a) a transversely-mounted engine, (b) a transmission that receives an output of the engine, (c) a differential gear device that includes a ring gear and that is arranged to transmit an output of the transmission to a first pair of right and left drive wheels while permitting a differential action, and (d) a power distributing mechanism arranged to transmit an output of the transmission to a second pair of right and left drive wheels through an output shaft extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein said transmission is located between said differential gear device and said power distributing mechanism, wherein an axis of rotation of the ring gear of the differential gear device is located in front of an axis of rotation of an output gear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the output gear being attached to an output shaft of the transmission and the ring gear being directly meshed with the output gear, wherein an axis of rotation of a transfer drive gear that transmits power from the ring gear to the power distributing mechanism is located rearward of the output gear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the transfer gear being meshed with the output gear via an intermediate gear that includes an axis of rotation that is parallel to an axis of rotation of the output gear, and wherein the ring gear, the output gear, the intermediate gear, and the transfer drive gear are arranged in a single row parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.