Picture of my backseat. You can fold the backrest forward as seen in this picture, then you can flip-fold the whole thing forward up against the front seats (or remove it entirely).
Handling? I'm probably not the best person to ask, as I'm in my second month of ownership after growing up on lowered sports cars. It's a short wheel base, high center of gravity, tractor. On tarmac, it reminds me of walking on a waterbed... on stilts. On hardpack dirt washboard, it feels like the wheels are fixed to the frame with no suspension at all. But roll over a curb while making a u-turn or climb over a berm to get off the roadway before the rally cars come - and it's a sure-footed donkey.
They're old, often abused/neglected, and scarcely more refined than a riding lawn mower - but they're awesome, make you feel ten feet tall, and present a world of opportunity through the windshield. I suspect even the good ones are going to need a grand in repairs/maintenance to live up to their reputation, but I'll be damned if this isn't the most fun vehicle I've ever owned.
And this is how I've always preferred my off-tarmac adventures...