Unfortunately, you are indeed hoping for too much.
It, like the P-51D has been kept exactly the same in terms of looks and name.
Yea, I'm personally impressed with the P-51D's new handling. It still seems like a beast to fly, but it DOES turn tighter. I don't think it's that close to a Spitfire in the turn, but it certainly feels a little better.
I wasn't able to test the speed though. Did the P-51D get any faster? It's supposed to pull more than 350 mph @ SL with no WEP.