There's 13.8 cubic feet of cargo room in the Lancer Sportback, which is marginally larger than the sedan's 12.3-cubic-foot trunk. The Sportback's cargo area is notably smaller than the Mazda3 hatchback's and Impreza hatchback's, which measure 17 and 19 cubic feet, respectively. However, when the backseat is folded, the Sportback's expanded cargo space is the largest of the three, at 46.6 cubic feet. (The Mazda3 offers 42.8 while the Impreza manages 44.4.)

The Sportback's liftgate opens wide and high. The 60/40-split backseat is spring-loaded, so when you pull one of the release levers in the cargo area the backrest flops forward until it's flat with the cargo floor. Simple.