I've gone the other way - used to mainly have Honda's (and still do for motorbikes) but haven't had one of those for a few years now. They were all (a couple of Accords, a couple of Jazz's and a a Civic) great for reliability but the Mercedes are much nicer to drive and own in my experience.
The best way to appreciate the reliability of any of the German or Japanese brands is to own a Ford for a while. We've had a few, most with serious reliability issues (my sons Fiesta, while nice to drive, is on its 3rd gearbox and our V6 Mondeo was an absolute nightmare - although also a nice car to drive) although the biggest difference is just how bad the Ford dealers are (and I've tried a few).
I've never owned a Volvo though although I did get close to picking a 240 Estate as a company car many, many years ago. I was probably put off them by driving a friends 340 a few times - that was truly awful.
My old Subaru Outback was my most enjoyable driving experience until the recent RS7 - beautiful drive when I was putting in ridiculous mileage - reliable tooYep, Mercs do drive nicely, no question. When I was doing big miles (35K+ a year), a BMW 7 Series was my weapon of choice (until I moved to the sticks, then it was Land Cruiser). The 7 was a magnificent car, except the engine needed replacing at 60K (BMW warranty, thankfully). No way would I have one out of warranty. Nowadays, my Subaru is the best possible car for my needs, irrespective of budget. I’ve never, ever, had a single problem with Toyota and Subaru over 240K miles. New VW California (£60K+), all sorts of problems with them, disgraceful really.
My old Subaru Outback was my most enjoyable driving experience until the recent RS7 - beautiful drive when I was putting in ridiculous mileage - reliable too
Yes, the Audis drive very well. My wife had an Allroad for a couple of years. Lovely car for distance but hopeless in the snow compared to the Subarus.
Not considered a Lexus - they’re generally considered the best?
The gearbox could be used just fine, but shifting from first to second gear above 4,500 rpm tends to get crunchy. It didn't leave me stranded anywhere so not a breakdown as such.