Comfort and Convenience
Cabin temperature is a preference that splits quickly on a shared trip, because one person may feel warm in a coat while another prefers a cooler setting. Agreement usually comes from talking it through rather than a single default.
Safety and Driver Assistance
Before a dawn start, it helps to know where the lights and indicators are, so the first junctions are not a hunt for switches. That is a preparation habit, not a test of the car.
Multimedia and Connectivity
A call from a person waiting at the destination may need answering on the move. If the audio system can take that call, the driver need not hold the phone; otherwise a passenger can answer it.