Bounty Hunter,
I have an XD .45 and I love it. I also have an XD .40 as a duty weapon and like it very much as well. The grip on the .45 is slightly bigger and as I have big hands, it fits me nicely. As for the date of the .45s, they have not been offered as long as the .40 and 9mm pistols. I bought mine directly from Springfield, I only live 30 minutes from them, in February of 2006 and they had only been available for a short time before that as I understand it. I am sure you will not have any regrets about purchasing it. The XD gear it comes with is also pretty nice. If you have any further questions, let me know. I am no expert but I have experience with two calibers of XDs.