In some cars, it's softer and in other cars it's harder. But if you become an experienced driver, after driving for a while with a different car you get the hang of it easily. Speaking of clutch, check this game out. It's called Clutch. Gameplay vid:
I give it an 8/10 on the gore scale, but I thought you could get OUT of the car, not be glued to your seat like a crash dummy. That's gonna get old, so I ain't gonna get it. I like to spend my time flirting with guys who shoot zombies, not glued to my seat.