From talking to mechanics and people IRL, online, and in this forum, it seems to me the following (please add your own thoughts and feel free to agree/disagree):

Reliability means more driving time and less fixing time.

Modernity means uses the latest technological innovations.

Cost of Maintenance means how much it costs of parts and labor to repair or maintain the vehicle.

1) Japanese Brands are usually the highest reliability, lowest in modernity, and cheaper in terms of cost of maintenance.  

2) European Brands (Not Italian/French) are ok on reliability, highest in modernity, and expensive in terms of cost of maintenance.  

3) American Brands are ok on reliability, middle of the road on modernity, and moderate in terms of cost of maintenance.  

4) Korean Brands are lower on reliability, lower on modernity, and moderate in terms of cost of maintenance.  

5) Italian and French Brands are lowest in reliability, middle of the road on modernity, and expensive  in terms of cost of maintenance.

Granted there are some brands that don't fit these categories cleanly, like Nissan, Mitsubishi, and more.  But for the most part this is the general assessment of relaiblityl modernity, and cost of maintenance.  

Thoughts?