1) How can it pre-heat the oil? If the engine coolant is hot enough to 'pre-heat' the oil, then the engine is obviously already warm...how else would the coolant get warm? And, no matter what temp you are referring to, the oil is always at 'engine temp'.
The idea of an oil cooler is that you want to lower the temperature of the oil to below that of the current engine temp, to help keep the engine internals cool.
I understand the cold climate issue, but with today's sophisticated oils that is far less a concern than before.
I admit it can be beneficial in colder climates at cold start up, but it seems reltively useless in hot climates or on a hot engine.
2) It might cool the oil, but not nearly enough to make a significant difference. Engine coolant opperates at about 220-250 degrees, so it clearly can't reduce it's temp any more than that.
On the other hand, a normal air-to-oil cooler would lower the oil about 60-70 below its operating temp. If the oil was 280-320 degress, which is higher than normal, it would bring it down to around 240 or so...a huge difference.
All in all, I would have preferred they use a 'real' oil cooler. Maybe I'll install one...it ain't to difficult.