Rear suspension assembly for an off-road vehicle

1. A vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a driver seat connected to the frame;

a passenger seat connected to the frame, the passenger seat being disposed beside the driver seat;

a front left suspension assembly connected to the frame;

a front left wheel operatively connected to the front left suspension assembly;

a front right suspension assembly connected to the frame;

a front right wheel operatively connected to the front right suspension assembly;

a rear left suspension assembly connected to the frame;

a rear left wheel operatively connected to the rear left suspension assembly;

a rear right suspension assembly connected to the frame;

a rear right wheel operatively connected to the rear right suspension assembly;

a rear differential operatively connected to the rear left wheel and the rear right wheel, the rear differential defining a laterally extending rear differential axis; and

a motor operatively connected to the rear differential, the motor driving the right rear wheel and the left rear wheel via the rear differential;

each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly comprising:

a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame;

a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm;

a lower link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame;

an upper link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; and

a toe link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame,

the lower link, the upper link and the toe link being disposed completely behind the rear differential axis.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:

a rear left hub rotationally connecting the rear left wheel to the knuckle of the rear left suspension assembly;

a left half-shaft operatively connecting the rear left hub to the rear differential;

a rear right hub rotationally connecting the rear right wheel to the knuckle of the rear right suspension assembly;

a right half-shaft operatively connecting the rear right hub to the rear differential;

wherein the lower links, the upper links and the toe links are disposed completely behind the left and right half-shafts.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly the toe link is vertically between the lower link and the upper link.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises:

an upper ball joint pivotally connecting the knuckle to the trailing arm, the upper ball joint being vertically higher than a wheel rotation axis of a corresponding one of the left rear wheel and the right rear wheel; and

a lower ball joint pivotally connecting the knuckle to the trailing arm, the lower ball joint being vertically lower than the wheel rotation axis.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:

the lower link is parallel to the upper link when a line passing through a lower connection point and an upper connection point is vertical;

the lower connection point is a connection point of the laterally outward end of the lower link with the trailing arm; and

the upper connection point is a connection point of the laterally outward end of the upper link with the trailing arm.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:

a projection of a first line passing through connection points of the lower link with the trailing arm and the frame onto a horizontal plane is skewed relative to a projection of a second line passing through connection points of the toe link with the knuckle and the frame onto the horizontal plane;

the projection of the second line is skewed relative to a projection of a third line passing through connection points of the upper link with the trailing arm and the frame onto the horizontal plane; and

the projection of the third line is skewed relative to the projection of the first line.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:

a projection of a first line passing through connection points of the lower link with the trailing arm and the frame onto a laterally extending vertical plane is skewed relative to a projection of a second line passing through connection points of the toe link with the knuckle and the frame onto the vertical plane; and

the projection of the second line is skewed relative to a projection of a third line passing through connection points of the upper link with the trailing arm and the frame onto the vertical plane.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly a connection point of the laterally outward end of the toe link with the knuckle is laterally outward of connection points of the laterally outward ends of the upper and lower links with the trailing arm.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly a connection point of the laterally inward end of the toe link with the frame is laterally inward of connection points of the laterally inward ends of the upper and lower links with the frame.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly a connection point of the laterally outward end of the toe link with the knuckle is longitudinally rearward of connection points of the laterally outward ends of the upper and lower links with the trailing arm.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:

a rear left hub rotationally connecting the rear left wheel to the knuckle of the rear left suspension assembly;

a rear left brake disk connected to the rear left hub;

a rear right hub rotationally connecting the rear right wheel to the knuckle of the rear right suspension assembly; and

a rear right brake disk connected to the rear right hub;

wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly a line passing through connection points of the toe link with the knuckle and the frame extends through a circle defined by a perimeter of a corresponding one of the rear left and rear right brake disk.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:

the laterally outward end of the lower link is pivotally connected to the knuckle; and

the laterally outward end of the upper link is pivotally connected to the knuckle.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:

the laterally outward end of the lower link is behind the knuckle;

the laterally outward end of the upper link is behind the knuckle; and

the laterally outward end of the toe link is behind the knuckle.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises a shock absorber assembly having a lower end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and an upper end pivotally connected to the frame.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising a torsion bar pivotally connected between the trailing arms.