Then there is the simple question of "what would engineer1 do?"
Based on the other vehicle that has automatic (as in, set temp and it'll figure it out) climate control, it's either fully in control, or if you press a button, it's in 'manual' mode, where the temp you set still dictates the outlet temperature, but you either changed the outlet configuration or the fan speed. By the looks of it, the t4r just turns off the "auto" indicator when it's in that mode.
A better name for this mode is "best effort" since obviously if you set the fan to lowest speed and top vent output at an external temp of -20, there is no way it'll get to the temp you actually set.
Did that explain it or do I need to put up a logic flowchart?