And as far as the shorter change intervals in the USA than in the UK there's a good reason for this and it's not marketing. It has to do with oil viscosity recommendations. The 2004 Civic specifies 5W-20 oil at 10K mile intervals. The 2013 CR-V specifies 0W-20 oil and use the oil life monitor as a guide. Those requirements are NOT for engine protection. They are to meet corporate fuel economy objectives. I could probably give my engines better protection by pissing into the crankcase. If you look at the same engine in Europe (and I have) most recommendations go no lower than 5W-30 and in many cases are higher. Both my engines are on a steady diet of 5W-30 and are perfectly happy with it. So what if I lose a few MPG. It beats a car payment.
Although I can see the logic in that I find it surprising simply because, traditionally, fuel economy in European countries has been more of an issue than in the US. When I last compared governmental fuel economy objectives between the EU and US, which I will freely admit was a long time ago, the EU objectives were more stringent than the US objectives, so much so that the US objectives looked like a token effort in comparison.
So how do international brands like Honda meet traditionally stricter EU requirements with thicker oils, but have to specify lower viscosity oils to hit US targets? Either the US targets have got tighter than EU targets (which possibility I admit but instinctively doubt, and am currently feeling too lazy to research) or there's something else going on.
I'm too lazy too. I honestly have no clue. Your guess is as good as mine.
Actually, I might have a clue.
Best selling vehicle in the US market? Full size gas guzzling pick-up truck. Followed closely by full size gas guzzling SUV's. In Europe much smaller vehicles are the general rule. So perhaps easier to meet EU fuel economy targets?
That's because they're able to exploit a loophole in the gas-guzzler tax originally introduced to ease pain on small family farmers, for whom pickup trucks (usually between 2 & 6 per farm) are a core farm implement.
That exploitation was the entire reason behind the marketing of luxury Suburban-type vehicles, and why first Cadillac, then everybody else moved their primary luxury lines to the same light-truck chassis. IIRC, the Hummer
2 was based on Chevy Avalanche platform and the H
3 was based on and replaced the Blazer.
To this day they still pay lobbyists to keep that loophole open, as (at least, according to their armies of MBAs, who treat "projected sales numbers" pulled out of somebody's arse as if it were
real money) it is more profitable than the sales lost if the customer had to pay the gas-guzzler tax on a old-school tuna boat like Fleetwood & DeVille models...
mnem