I had 8 years of Volkswagens, and if you add up every single small problem that I had in those 8 years, it wouldn't come close to even a fifth of the amount of problems I had in two years as a Mercedes owner. And even when the worst happened to either of my cars (intake issue in the Jetta 2.0T), the car was still drivable. Whereas three out of my family's last four Benzes have left their drivers stranded at some point or another.

Perhaps I've never owned a truly trouble-free car, but to me, Volkswagens are pretty damn good in reliability. And whatever you give up to a comparable Toyota, you gain in refinement and driving experience.