Clutch Pedal/linkage problems of the 2014 Toyota Corolla

Regarding a 2014 Toyota Corolla s with manual transmission: the vehicle has less than 24,000 miles and the clutch was worn off substantially. I have over 30 years of experience driving vehicles with manual transmissions (used and new) and I have never had this problem. At the very beginning of the lease, I noticed that the clutch pedal sat higher than I am used to. Moreover, the transmission kicked a bit if I released the clutch at the speed that I am used to. I informed this to the technician's at the Toyota dealership, but they said that these behaviors were by design and that the clutch could not be adjusted because it is a hydraulic system. Again, this event is very strange and based on my previous experience with numerous manual transmission vehicles, I am lead to conclude that the clutch system for this vehicle is poorly designed/manufactured/assembled.