Comfort and Convenience
Preferred cabin temperature varies widely between people: a setting that feels pleasant to the driver can feel stuffy to a passenger. Clothing, time of day and individual metabolism all shift that choice.
Safety and Driver Assistance
Mirrors, seat and steering position are worth setting while parked. Making those adjustments in stationary conditions is simply easier than reaching for a lever once traffic is already moving around you.
Multimedia and Connectivity
Long journeys often leave a phone running maps until the battery drops, which makes access to charging a need in its own right, separate from how sound reaches the speakers.