We also installed a Mr Cool DIY system in our house about 3 years ago. We also did it ourselves. It works well, no complaints, and has an app that you can control it anywhere with. 36k BTU 21.5 SEER Multi-Zone all for about $3700.
I've owned a Tesla for nearly 3 years and I love the touch screen and the lack of dashboard buttons. From a purely design point of view, buttons/switches/dials, IMO, really make a dashboard look like an ugly mess. I get the heebie jeebies whenever I drive my wife's older Honda. As others have pointed out just about everything can be done through the steering wheel buttons and/or voice control.
I'm wondering about the test though. "the drivers had time to get to know the cars and their infotainment systems before the test started". They tested 12 cars, how many testers? How long did they really take to get to know the system? I know for me, when I'm driving a new car I feel like I just stepped into the pilot seat of a plane. It takes me several days to get comfortable with any car. In addition, they only performed 4 tests which could have easily been memorized prior to driving. One test being "Reset the trip computer" give me a break, who does that and while driving??
Does safety improve as length of ownership increases? Does age make a difference? Do people who grew up with touchscreens fare better than those who didn't?