Having worked for 2 multi-line VW dealers I don’t have quite the same amount of distaste for them as others may have. They have their faults but so does everything else. I can’t even count the number of people who have stood at the service counter complaining about their Honda/Nissan/Subaru and wondering why this, that, or the other has failed.
My oldest son bought a new 2015 VW Jetta about 5 years ago. Other than oil changes, a few filters, and a recent set of new tires that car has never needed to go back to the dealer yet for a single fault.
There’s also something a bit skewed in the thinking. If a transmission fails in a VW for instance the general impression might be “typical German junk”. If a transmission fails in a Honda, Nissan, or whatever then the general impression is often “Well, a few failures are to be expected. No big deal” although the person whose car is suffering that failure may not see it that way.