LOL, "very reluctant to spin the wheels in the wet with esp on, but now its almost impossible to not spin em" - My advice to you is get your traction control checked. I was only last week thinking exactly the same thing when I took it in to the dealer. - ESP/Traction control aint working anymore. Funnily enough, the girl behind the reception desk new exactly what I was on about as hers too had the same problem, so I took the techy out in the car for the blast.
Initially the traction control light came on when I first got the car, now I cant remember the last time I saw it. So unfortunatley for me the car is going in for 1 week to get the following sorted:
1) Windscreen wipers stop working intermittently (70mph on MWay in rain OMG)
2) Traction Control (its gone on holiday)
3) Rattling windscreen blower (getting padding put in)
4) Passenger seat fixed or replaced (rattles like a mofo)
Anyway I knew most of these problems cos alot of people here have had them. Ironically - when I first got the car and read these posts (2 months ago) I thought poor guys/grls mine doesnt have any of those problems. RFLOL it didnt take long. Yeh I love the car but they will bloody well fix it.
P.S hopefully it will settle and become reliable and as solid as my Dynamique but maybe not as solid as my V70