Mammalian04, Thanks for the link never really looked in the non-hub motor drive section, I should start keeping updated on this mid drive setup.
The thing with hub motors for off-road is that if your bike is setup properly it handles very well off-road. When I say setup properly, you want a 10.5x3.5 coil shock for long travel and also a 17x3.00" fat rear tire run at 11-14 PSI, You really want is a shinko 241 in 3", 3" is important because the tire has soft rubber and flexes easily as the 2.75" are harder rubber.
These things will make the bike handle extremely well off-road because I run the bike very hard without issues and a good smooth ride. The only issue is if I really hit something large the front will roll over it without issue but when that rear hits it will kick up the rear of the bike. This is only when I hit something large and fast, like a curb which is rare. I assume this is mostly because of the heavy hub?
I have yet to try a mid-drive and what it feels like to remove all that weight in the rear. Maybe it will be a huge improvement that will surprise me.