This isn't reserved for transverse engines anymore. The wife's vehicle needed the seals on an oil cooler changed. A $10 part even from the five star lobby of a prominent German dealership. But guess where the cooler is? Mounted to the engine valley. To replace it is to R&I the top 1/3 of the engine. ~$600 in gaskets and 14 hours of labor or a weekend if you're motivated enough. Mind you this is a longitudinally mounted V6.
I can and do still change air, cabin, oil, fuel filters and oil without too much trouble.
Oh right, it doesn't matter how the engine is oriented anymore. It's just that they try and cram so much stuff into the smallest space possible.