Cub Campers Longreach LE vs MG MG QS

What's the difference?

This isn’t the camper for everyone – my guess is that plenty of people look at this and find it too sparse, too basic. I kinda get it.

But there are very few campers which offer the same amount of open, internal space, or that are as easy to set up.

That the Longreach, albeit with a few different names, has lasted so long on the Cub Campers' product roster is a testament to its versatility and ability to accommodate a small family on off-road camper trips.

It's arguably one of the forerunners of the hybrid camper scene, and it's now starting to evolve with campers' desires for more comfort.

What it lacks in driving panache it does make up for in terms of space and equipments, and there really is room for seven decent-sized humans on board. Combine that with a decade of warranty coverage, and the MG QS will no doubt be appearing on family shortlists.

For a rear-fold camper-trailer, the space inside couldn't be more practical. The long body and high sides mean that when the camper is open and set up, it has a lot more space than most. Behind the bed, for instance, there is enough space for Cub to have fit a small dinette.

The dinette has cushioned benches for two and a swivel table that can also become a counter over the rear floor area.

The camper's length also means that the rear floor area is massive. It is easily big enough to lie a couple of kids on, or if your nest is empty, to set up some camp chairs and a table to enjoy a covered living area.

It is still a rear-fold camper-trailer, though so, despite the fact it has nearly twice the space of other hybrid-style campers, it's very sparsely furnished. There's no internal kitchenette or anything like that.

The MG QS is a smidge under five-metres long, just over 1.9m wide and just under 1.8.m high, which puts it right in the seven-seat SUV ballpark.

That pays dividends in the backseat. I’m 175cm tall, and I had heaps of room to spread out, and I don’t only have my own air vents, but I have my own temperature controls, too.

It’s a big and airy space, and I’d have no problem spending some serious time here on a longer road trip.

But the big question is, what do those dimensions mean for third-row riders, and does it live up to its promise of being a true seven-seater?

Well, yes and no. The fact that the middle row is on rails helps massively, because you can slide it forwards to maximise leg room for backseat riders, and the one-touch entry (which folds the middle row up and forwards) makes actually climbing back there pretty simple, too.

But... it's still a space in which I wouldn't want to spend too much time. Its big enough for shorter trips, but it's still best for the smaller kids in the family.

Now, as is often the case with three-row cars, how much boot space you get very much depends on how many people you have onboard. With all three rows in place, you get a miserly 203L, fold the third row and you get 517L, drop both rows and you get 1052L.

Cub Campers are famously good to tow, and even the largest of them lives up to the reputation.

As big as it is, the Longreach LE is quite light thanks to the effort Cub puts into engineering. As a result, it's not a strain, even for older dual-cabs like the D22 Navara.

And because it isn't any higher or wider than a modern SUV, there was very little wind-drag or buffeting as we cruised along the highway.

Cub developed the camper's Australian-made and -designed independent, coil-spring suspension and the set-up yields excellent ride in any conditions.

For the LE, Cub has added an extra shock-absorber each side to improve its performance even on the most corrugated roads.

An AL-KO off-road ball hitch is standard but can be upgraded to the Click-Lock version if you'd prefer that or need a more low-profile hitch. 

In reverse, the long drawbar makes it an easy camper to manoeuvre around a campsite, plus it has enough size that the tow-vehicle driver never really loses sight of it while positioning it.

It all comes down to what you're looking for in your large SUV. Is it a vehicle that – against all odds – manages to somehow stir your emotions from behind the wheel, whether you're flying solo or you're riding with seven on board? Well, the MG QS won't do that.

But if you're looking for something big, comfortable, nicely trimmed and with just about every feature you can think of, then the MG QS ticks those boxes and then some.

But let's start with the not so good. The steering in the MG QS is super, super light, leaving it feeling largely disconnected from what's happening beneath the tyres, and giving the drive experience a weird and artificial vibe.

Now, it must be said that some drivers like that. A big car with light steering makes manoeuvrability easy in car parks and the like. But I don't. It makes me feel uninvolved in the drive experience.

The QS is equipped with Sport mode that does add heft to the steering, but which also appears to make the gearbox way to eager to shift down and hold a lower gear, adding a harshness to the drive.

It's also not a big engine, and this is a big car, and so there's a bit of delay when you first plant your foot as the engine figures out its next move, and you're always aware of the engine working fairly hard to get the QS moving along – though MG has done a good job of deadening much of that sound before it enters the cabin.

But if that's the not-so-good, there are still plenty of ticks in the MG's plus column. It's a largely smooth-riding, sweet-shifting proposition, the QS, and the space in all three rows is impressive, especially when the sliding second row is utilised to maximise the space where you need it.