I do understand the other considerations, such a fuel mileage, etc. But...it seems there is really no scientific reason to run anything else, just mostly preference or "feel". I have always placed my trust in the engineers that designed the engine and tested it for all conditions and the millions of dollars the manufacturer spent to support it.
But, as the OP seems to indicate, he can't find a particular oil in his area of the world, then he has to go with the next closest spec. So that makes sense regardless of any other reasons.
There is a lot of science behind it. Tons. There are entire forums dedicated to discussing the nuances of different oils as well as plenty of independent labs that test a vehicle owner's used oil sample and provide a breakdown of what's happening in your engine as well as provide suggestions for improving performance through longer/shorter oil change intervals and/or alternative oil recommendations.
I like 0W-40 because it's a European spec oil and has a higher quality additives package than U.S. spec oil as well as being a true synthetic and not Group III based. It's on the thinner end of the 40w spectrum which is just fine for my 120k mile LX. While the 0W isn't an advantage over the 5W (5W cSt is actually less than 0W) the 0W-40 has a higher HTHS which means better wear protection. I might try something like Castrol Syntec 0W-30 one day, because the characteristics are very similar even though the numbers on the jug are different. Oil selection isn't black magic. You just have to know a little bit about what's in it and how those ingredients perform in your engine given a certain climate and driving characteristics.