Coolant temp gauges are ‘buffered’, meaning they don’t show owners the true temperature; they simply stay at the same place between 185 and 230 to 235F. Above that, needle starts moving up quickly. So the fan(s) should kick in before that point. The fact the fans come on with A/C (perfectly normal), tells you the fans (my XT has 2) are okay. So just do the coolant temperature needle test: Your fans should come on before the needle moves up from the middle. If not, then you most likely have a bad sensor somewhere, and need to investigate. Not sure if the coolant gauge sensor is the same that triggers the fans, so cannot help you there. Good luck.
