No, that's the amount of squish you have to do to get the filter panel into the slot around the floor, cables in the way, the dash bar, and fuse panel.
I've done it 3 times each in my cmax, and Dad's escape. The escape is slightly easier because it's higher off the ground.
I've done the furnace filter thing in the past...(like 2010) with a 16x20x1 filter, shears, and some duct tape for the raw edges, I could get 4 filters for my friends Pontiac Vibe.
I do agree such efforts of cheapskatery are no longer needed.