I have zero experience with the transmission used in the Pioneers. Is the issue with the clutches due to larger wheels and tires being installed, general abuse by the owners, or is it just simply not built tough enough from the factory. Or because it's not a typical transmission used in a utv are owners driving in the wrong gear. I know it happens with cvts alot. A person will be In high gear when they should be in low and vice versa
Honda uses a DCT in their Rubicon and their Rancher models. A nearly identical engine/DCT is used on the Africa Twin. None of those units have the problems the Pioneer has. Now they are different applications but the basic design seems to work fine. It is a very complicated system not even taking the assembly process into account and it is taking Honda a while to determine which variables are causing problems and it is likely a combination of them that is doing it. Honda WILL figure out what isn't working so I wouldn't let the clutches drive my decision about whether to get the machine or not.
My biggest gripe with my Pioneer was the fact I didn't like the way it worked for my uses. I use it around very hilly property going 1-10 MPH. The Pioneer was annoying to use like this for me. It generated a lot of heat, I had the choice of either putting it in Manual and forcing it to stay in 1st gear up to 7-8 MPH and letting the engine scream like a jet engine or leave it in auto and have it shift between 1st and 2nd. While shifting in High Range isn't too bad, Low Range shifting will make you head bang. Do that for an hour and I get really annoyed. A CVT is much better for me in this situation and I prefer it. Riding pretty fast, the ability of the Pioneer to shift was really fun and it was very useful to upshift to a higher gear and make it much quieter. But you can only do that when you are going fairly fast. Not something you can do when you are going slow because the transmission will automatically downshift to a lower gear to prevent lugging and prevent damage to the clutches. I was also aggravated with the seeming constant requirement to "fix" something. Either the mode selector was going out or screws/bolts were backing out/falling out or parts wouldn't fit. That got really old, really fast. I prefer the Defender so far other than not having shifting.
If you want something that has a tilting bed and the ability to carry more than 3 people and you want to be less than 10 feet long, the Pioneer is your ONLY choice right now.
If you don't want a tilting bed and are okay with a little noise/heat and want to comfortably haul people the Kawasaki Teryx-4 is short and very durable but it is hotter and noisier than the Pioneer and it has less wheel travel.
If you don't mind a little longer machine (133 inches) and still have a tilting bed the Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT is out there. It isn't as fast as the Pioneer but it is extremely durable and can seat 6.
I only need to haul myself and my wife or myself and my brother most of the time. The Defender suits me better but you should try several before you buy. The Pioneer may be a better fit for you and your circumstances. But don't let the clutches be your deciding factor. Lots of guys here and on Facebook don't have any problems at all. Make your choice based on the features and how you will use it because everything out there can fail given the right circumstances. For instance you would think that the Kubota SXS is so slow and heavily built that it should be impervious to problems until you read their forums.