Update - I've done an oil change and after misleading instructions in the service manual, I removed the pan and it was a right pain to replace - took me 1 1/2 hours to put back. I then discovered that it had a clever hatch to access the sump for oil changes which took 5 seconds to close - DOH!
However, I thought of you ecomodders and decided to take pics of the pan while it was removed from the car.
Pic 1- Pan viewed directly head-on - front is at top - you can clearly see the hatch.
Pic 2 - Pan viewed from side
Pic 3 - Pan viewed from front
Pic 4 - Topside of pan. Funnily enough, the sump is above the left side of the access hatch - not a spot of oil on it, while the right side of the hatch is covered in oil, where the exhaust pipe come down!
For comparasion, here's an
view of the engine underside. Not very useful, sorry, but I couldn't get a better picture.
Interestingly enough, there is insulating material covering the whole topside of the pan - not sure what that's for - whether it's for heat proofing, or sound insulation. I suspect the latter.
I've also figured out what the two gaping holes at the front of the pan is for - the sump is also an oil cooler as the engine has a turbo - so the holes let in air to cool down the oil.
Hope this is useful for you guys?