OK, today I removed the spare tire and measured the depth of the spare tire well, and the width of the tire;
The wheel well (at the front area) is approx. 6 1/2 " deep (it's closer to 8" deep at the rear).
The 185/60R15 spare tire is nearly 8" wide at it's widest point. In addition, the tire wedges itself against the left & right sides of the well, so it can't fit all the way down. There's maybe a 3/8" gap under the tire.
So that explains why our load floor cannot lay flat. The car that BRGT350 drives must have either a smaller spare tire or a deeper storage well. The rest of us will need to either get a smaller tire, or to get out a sledge hammer and do some sheet metal re-forming. :happy: