.....and why can't they fix it? A mate of mine is on his 3rd on a 2.5 year old impreza! Is it the deisgn, or the materials? If all the other manufacturers can get it right why can't subaru?

has he tried an uprated clutch? AP, p1 or an sti... most hi-po 4wd machines eat clutches, cheaper to replace than gearboxes etc...

abuse?

What exactly is the problem you refer to??? mine works perfectly.
If you are referring to the need for renewal more often than a 10hp fwd bit of sh1t, then i guess there is a problem for you.
Subarus dont need their clutch changed any more often than any high performance 4wd car. In fact, Evos I'd say are a lot harder on clutches.
Probably the thing however, that does the most damage is the driver. If you drive it properly, and dont slip the clutch excessively, then it will give excellent service.

I know the guy well, and he is an ultra smooth driver. I also had the clutch replaced on my old Forester GLS, and judging by the number of responses on here and i-club, the subaru clutch is terribly prone to juddering. So why does it do it, and how can subaru stop it?

The clutch only judders if you try and slip it when engageing - Admitedly mine an Sti so the clutch may be slightly different for regular model but I've found that letting it in nice and quickly (and no I don't mean bang it it - just don't hang about) and you get no judder problem - plus of course the less you slip it the longer it'll last...

Agreed, it's only a problem when pulling away from a stop, 2-3, 3-4 etc are fine. However it *is* a problem and what can subaru change in the design to cure it?