I fully understand what you are saying, i also completely agree that a dog box is better value for money than sequential for a clubman type car as the money would be better spent elsewhere. You are also completly right in saying that the STDSA h pattern and sequential will physically shift from one gear to another at the same speed. But with the H pattern you cannot have flat shift and this is where the sequential gains its time.
By gear change we all mean from the time that the power is disengaged from the transmission, the physical next gear is selected, and the power then re-engaged back to the transmission. This all takes place in a split second on a sequential there is no time wasted, with a dog box its your right foot making the power cut which will allways take longer than an ECU is capable of. Sequentials are simply better in most cases and they are very easy to use. Ill allways say buy the best you can afford, and if you can afford a decent sequential.. buy one..
Not sure what the reasoning was with the clio maxi but maybe the 7 speed hewland's ratio's wasnt very well matched to the clio's engine, the later more highly strung engine of the megane maxi pretty much allways used the 7 speed hewland... Or maybe Jean Ragnotti is just set in his ways and prefers H pattern.. either way id have sequential weather its marginally slower or not.