Thanks for the comments guys, I am a 57 year old man, this isn't my first rodeo. I messed around with the seat quite a bit. There is no possibility of an easy pivot from the gas to the brake, I have to pull my foot back to get to the brake. I was asking wondering if this is normal. It sounds like it isn't.
That is odd.
I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it so I checked. Yes, the brake pedal does stick out, at least in my US 2020 CX-5 Touring AWD with the 2.5L normally aspirated gasoline version. I can't speak for other configurations or other markets. I must be used to it since our other vehicle, a 2014 Sienna V6 FWD, is the same way.
Yeah, I doubt that changing the seat position would help much. What I find myself doing by second nature now is having the heel back, working the bottom half of the gas pedal which provides more clearance to pivot to the brake. Maybe that's what you got used to after all. You might find working the gas this way more finely modulates the throttle. Of course wth the normally aspirated it took some getting used to because that motor wants gas to get to 3rd. gear and I felt initially like I was either dawdling or stomping on it. Then again, I've been driving V6s for the last 20 years so some adjustment is expected.
So, why would they do this? Just a guess, but I'm thinking they seek to avoid "sudden acceleration" issues that plagued other auto makers that turned out to be folks were mistaking the gas for the brake. This is their bread and butter vehicle they want in the mainstream, taking out the cabin noise, making it nicely appointed, putting in comfortable seats and making the safety, automation and convenience gagetry standard. Even Toyota makes you go up a trim level or two for blind spot detection or pay a tidy sum for it as option. In mainstream vehicles you can't have less than adept drivers stomping the wrong pedal. Trying to mainstream is why they dropped "zoom zoom" as the brand image.
Which raises the question of whether a compact CUV targetting a sweet spot in the market at this price point can truly be called a "driver's car"? Certainly not the normally aspirated version, the turbo would be a bit of a stretch. Relative to a sport sedan or sports car, we bought cargo capacity, a high view of the road, a high center of gravity, and for some of us a high step in. It just happens to be the closest you can get to a "drivers car" in this class at this price.