Lightness or heaviness of clutch on a California

[AlanH99]

I'm looking to buy a California but I don't know whether to get an automatic or a manual. My wife has trouble with cars that have a 'heavy' clutch but can manage those with a medium to light clutch. I know it's subjective but how do you rate the clutch action? Is it much harder to operate than most cars?
Alan

 

[andyinluton]

Considerably lighter than our mini! I think the weight is less important than the angle that you push at, in a car you tend to be pushing the pedal away horizontaly & in the california because its a more upright position you tend to be pushing down. Ive been doing a 35 mile 2 hour commute for the last couple of weeks & it is one of the few manual vehicles that I'm happy to do it in.
Having driven a large variety of cars over the years I can't think of one that i've had that had a noticably lighter clutch, I've had slicker gearboxes & steering with a lot less turns of the steering wheel lock to lock but the only noticeably heavy bits of the van are opening & shutting the tailgate & the sliding door especially as our drive is on a slope.

 

[motacyclist]

The T5 clutch is extremely light and the gear change is excellent. I've just changed over to automatic but now missing changing gear!

 

[Meoncoast]

Test drive both Manual and automatic doesn't have to be a California, just a t5

 

[2CV67]

The weight is not too bad, but the LENGTH is excessive.
I find I need to sit closer to the wheel/brake-pedal/accelerator than I would otherwise prefer, just to be able to fully release the clutch.
If hesitating between manual & DSG, that would clinch it for me.

 

[AlanC]

I hired a 2014 T5 panel van last weekend and kept stalling it.

At first I thought it was the computer doing something odd, but then realised it was the other computer, me, not disengaging the clutch completely, soon enough. It is nicely light.
The engine must be lighter than my old T5 Van too, so stalling it is much easier.

After 400 miles though, I got the hang of it!