I don't bother using a lot of the features of the G1000 for short VFR flights either, I just think it unnecessary, on a nice day I'll quite happily turn the GPS off and practice dead reckoning...I mean I would hate to forget how to do it completely!
Flying IFR completely different story, the whole route is entered and the autopilot on for the most of the cruise and more if necessary so that I can be concentrating on other things.
The problem with instrument training in the PPL course is that it only gets taught once and if someone not IMC rated enters IMC accidentally some 10 years later whether they had 1 or 10hrs training they might not remember how to do it.