Why is it the only people I hear complaining about the clutch is the North American guys?
Has to be something to do with you being a nation(s) of Auto drivers.
Also new clutches are usually very light and stiffen up as the clutch springs age and harden. Much like guitar strings starting out loose and springy with a rich sound and going stiffer and deader as the metal hardens into it's new stretched shape.
I think in the UK we are so used to jumping out of one manual into another that we just get used to clutches being different in different vehicles. Not just different models/brands, but different individual vehicles within the same model/brand feel different.
I also expect it's a bit of "blame the tool" by those with limited clutch control ability. They get into an unfamiliar manual car and are a bit lurchy so it can't possibly be their lack of clutch control it must therefore be a problem with the clutch.
(I'm bored at work so thought I'd start a bit of a war for lolz
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