I think the escorts are about right as far as skill goes right now. Haven't had any more trouble with them than usual. So long as you have RUb's DC and Sonar Fix, you've got your fair chance to survive even with elite DD's.
Got the latest version... just when I switched mostly to the North Atlantic convoys, so I can't tell more about the Gibraltar ones.
Looks good. The escorts are generally in the area of 5, the ship numbers about 25. Good deal of variety. With the Merchant Variety Pack, convoys just look damn impressive now. What a big improvement from the bland and predictable ones of the original game