Vehicle drive system

A vehicle drive system comprising:

• a transmission including an input shaft receiving an engine torque, an output shaft arranged in parallel with the input shaft, the output shaft configured to rotatably connect to a driving wheel, plural idler gears idly rotatably arranged at one of the input shaft and the output shaft, plural fixed gears fixed to the other of the input shaft and the output shaft so as not to relatively rotate, the plural fixed gears being engageable with the plural idler gears, respectively, a connecting portion provided at a shaft at which the plural idler gears are arranged, and positioned side by side with the plural idler gears so as not to rotate relative to the shaft and so as to move in an axial direction of the shaft, the connecting portion for rotatably connecting the idler gear and the shaft so as to restrain the idler gear and the shaft from rotating relative to each other, and a shift actuator moving the connecting portion in the axial direction to engage the connecting portion with the idler gear that corresponds to the connecting portion so as not to relatively rotate, the shift actuator moving the connecting portion in the axial direction to be disengaged from the idler gear that corresponds to the connecting portion so as to relatively rotate;
• a clutch configured to be arranged between a drive shaft receiving the engine torque and the input shaft, the clutch selectively connecting the drive shaft and the input shaft;
• and
• a shift execution portion operating the shift actuator to control the connecting portion in an engaged state engaged with the idler gear of a present gear stage to disengage from the idler gear of the present gear stage while gradually decreasing the engine torque while the clutch is still engaged, when a shift operation from the present gear stage to a subsequent gear stage is executed.