Why are German cars known for their engineering excellence while many of them experience complicated and expensive failures?

Not trying to start a flame war, I'm genuinely interested in what fans and owners see in German cars as far as engineering goes. Wouldn't a Toyota Camry that experiences very few issues be considered a better engineered car than a Mercedes that experiences drivetrain failures? How do cars that are complicated to work on find such cult followings? Please discuss! via /r/cars http://ift.tt/2t4Q1gQ