as for the elastic tendancies, it depends how hot.
if your using warm to hotish water, just to clean windows the hose is nice and flexible & doesnt really stretch, but if your using really hot, to clean fascias/gutters etc, there will be some stretch.
saying that, its still fine.
as for being run over, ive been using my microbore, since its release

about a year, with no problems at all, and it gets run over every week.