Seems common sense just to lash stuff down with the eyes provided. No more dangerous than any hatchback though.

Mythbusters did tests to see if the myth about a box of tissues on the rear shelf being able to kill you. Clearly it wasn't enough, so they ramped it up like they do.. ended up with a loose bowling ball on the rear shelf and a sudden stop impact from like 30mph. Fairly impressive amount of in-car destruction 🙂

i see the first issue with your question – you listened to your wife about a car… of to the blue oyster with you..

I was first on scene to a fatal RTC outside my old house. A car load of foreigners thought the road they were on was still dual carriageway, as it had been for the previous 40 odd miles. It wasn't. Straight head on collision Laguna V Rover 214. Driver of the 214 died pretty much instantly as the blade from his folding entrenching tool entered his neck from behind. Nothing anyone could do for the chap. The rear seat passenger of the Laguna also died from hitting the drivers seat.
There was a load of crap in the back of the Rover , as he was a landscape gardner, no parcel shelf or dog guards.

My friend SteveV also got whiplash from his acoustic shelf when he projected his Scirroco into a wall on a bend where a lorry had dumped a load of derv. The 2 x 10" speakers, and the 2 x 12" speakers mounted in 1" MDF weighed a ton, and in the rapid deceleration launched themselves from the back of the car to the front, bending the head restraint and Steves neck.

So it is something to be aware of , things like car jacks and wheel braces in open estate car boots.

samuri – Member

Having just been given a hire car estate for a few days I can confidentally tell you that the biggest problem you'll have is parking up in ASDA. It's a like a freaking BUS!

So you're one of those people that park across two spaces because you think your estate car is a bus, and refuse to drive through gaps that A BUS COULD GET THROUGH while on the road?

Shame on you, get a tape out and measure your car, it ain't that big!

Rear netting you get on most estate cars is suprisingly strong. It has certainly stood up to heavy objects and emergency stops.

Most Germany estates allow you to drop the seats and then re-attach the net just behind the drivers seats. I do lots of miles like this, back of the car filled up like a van and front seats nicely protected.

If your wife is just nervous about the size of the estate car and she is looking for excuses(this was my wife's concern) just get parking sensors! She can now park my car better than her Seat Ibiza.

Having just been given a hire car estate for a few days I can confidentally tell you that the biggest problem you'll have is parking up in ASDA. It's a like a freaking BUS!

? My estate car is about a foot longer than the hot-hatch version, hardly bus-like. And my mother can drive and park a 5 door landcruiser without thinking it's like a bus, MTFU 😀