My ex had a Hyundai Coupe ( the Mk 1 ) against my better judgement ; it was a couple of years old when she bought it . Weak synchromesh on 2nd gear ; rattling timing chain ( first cam belt driven , second on a chain off the first ) ; erratic central locking , oil leaks from the engine requiring regular top ups , drivers electric window eventually failed , seized brake callipers on more than one occasion . I’m sure more I’ve forgotten ; it was not an image of reliability; she had an equally bad Nissan after that ; then my sister gave her her MkIV Golf , zero issues over 6 years ... zero . Verdict ‘best car I’ve ever owned’ and she is now a VW convert .Couldn't possibly happen on a Mercedes, of course...
My brother-in-law has had Kia Cee'ds for about six years now, and never had a problem with any of them. My wife had a Hyundai Coupe (the Mk III - the good-looking one) for four years, only one of them still under warranty, and had no problems at all. If they'd only had a decently powerful petrol V6 in the Mk III, they'd have sold loads of them.
That's a good statistic to me...
As for ‘couldn’t possibly happen on a Mercedes’ , well we have had numerous new and nearly new Mercs - certainly zero defects in the first few years . Same with VW .