An air vent assembly for use with a vehicle having a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and a controller includes an air vent and an HVAC control head. The control head partially or fully surrounds the air vent and includes HVAC setting selection mechanisms. Activation of a respective one of the selection mechanisms causes a desired setting of the HVAC system to be communicated to the controller to request a particular control setting of the HVAC system. The control head may include a bezel adjacent to the selection mechanisms and display screens which flank the vent. The control head may be a touch screen device having a touch control surface, and may be operable for displaying the HVAC setting selection mechanisms via the touch control surface. A vehicle includes a body defining a vehicle interior, the air circulation device, the controller, and the air vent assembly.