Originally Posted By: GenaFishbeck
Our Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-40 and 0W-40 motor oil with PurePlus Technology would be great for your VW 2.0t. Our Pennzoil Ultra Platinum product is not the same product as the Pennzoil Ultra Euro product – they are two different products that are blended to meet different specifications (with different additive packages). However, they are both blended as synthetic motor oils.
As far as Base Oil Groups: the Group categories are not “ratings,” they are categories based on the API 1509 classification system. For example, Group I means “conventional, solvent refined” base oil (not considered synthetic); Group II means “hydroprocessed/hydrocracked” base oil (not considered synthetic); Group III means “all hydroprocessing/hydrocracking + isomerization” base oil (which is considered synthetic); Group III can also mean “Gas to Liquids (GtL), which is what the Pennzoil Platinum motor oils with PurePlus Technology are made from (immensely simplified, GtL means: “from Natural Gas/Methane to hydrocracker to base oil”)(which is also considered synthetic); Group IV means Poly Alpha Olefin/PAO” base oil (considered synthetic). Group V means “everything else” (like vegetable oil, PAG
The Pennzoil Platinum and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum motor oils with PurePlus Technology are both made using the Group III Gas to Liquids base oil, which is a truly “synthesized from natural gas” synthetic base oil. But please remember, today’s PCMO engine oils contain somewhere between 18-23% additives so, you can have the greatest base oil, but if you couple it with a mediocre additive package, you will have a mediocre finished product! This is where our “PurePlus” name derives from: Gas to Liquids “Pure” base oil + the most advanced “Plus” additive package = the most advanced synthetic motor oil on the market today!
Hopefully, some of this info helps Paulyfe12! - The Pennzoil Team
This is truly awesome, having someone from Shell chiming in. Thank you for the detailed input!