Patent ID: 7232004

Claim:
A vehicle, comprising: an engine having a power output; a power transfer device driven by said power output, said power transfer device including an input and an output axially offset from said input; a load floor that runs from approximately a front of said vehicle to a rear of said vehicle; a low profile suspension supporting said load floor on rear wheels; a differential unit that drives said wheels and that is driven by said output; a single segment drive shaft that transfers drive torque between said output and said differential, wherein the differential unit is located at a rear axle of the vehicle, and said differential unit is a half-shaft differential unit immovably supported by a frame and having opposed swing axles extending from said differential unit to said wheels, said low profile suspension enabling said swing axles to move vertically independent of said differential unit; and a torque box positioned behind the rear axle of the vehicle so as to accommodate the differential unit and the swing axles, said torque box does not extend beyond the rear wheels.