This is, in my experience, incorrect.

Driving a recent Model S.

Selecting the temperature can be done on the wheel, or with a single press on the screen in a predictable spot.

Same with media: play, stop, volume, next, previous.

Other adjustments, yes, those may need a modal interaction. Much like physical dials. I would slightly prefer physical dials, but not something I would need to adjust during drives almost ever, so I don’t see a problem here.