Prime vs Prius MPG/Blinkers/EV Questions

a couple quick questions for Prius Prime owners, please.

I currently don't have a Prime, but will probably buy one within the next couple months (have had a Civic Hybrid for years). I looked at the Chevy Bolt and Volt, and walked away from both for comfort reasons: (a) the Volt had a really uncomfortable, high left footrest & only 42MPG when in gas mode. The Bolt seems like a great car but the seats are terribly (unbelievably) uncomfortable. So it looks like I'll probably be getting a Prime within the next couple months.

(1) What color are the turn indicator lights (when you signal to make a turn) on the back of the Prime? (In most Prius models they're orange, but are they orange or red on the Prime?) I actually would like to know this

(2) Is there a place where one can download (or view) the large owner's manual for the Prime online before buying? I'd like to be able to read up on it before I walk into a dealer or make my final decision.

(3) In real-world driving (not downhill driving) what's the average range you've managed in EV-only mode?

(4) Can the EV be "turned off" if you want to save it to use later in a trip (ie, if you're doing a lot of hilly driving when you first start out, can you make it so it's all gas, then when you get to level sections, can you switch on the EV?)

(5) Have only 110 (not 240) at my house. I've heard it takes 5-6 hours to charge? My question is: can I charge it overnight simply by plugging it into my 110 socket in my garage? And... once the charging is complete, does it know to automatically stop the charging, or are you supposed to come in and unplug it as soon as the charging is complete? Does the Prime come with everything needed (adapters, plugs, etc) for low-end 110 home charging?

(6) How does the roominess for the Driver (legroom, side room, etc) compare between the Prime and the normal Prius? Are they about the same?

(7) Still trying to decide between the Prime or the normal (not Eco, V, or C, but the normal) Prius. I only drive 2-3 times a week, so I don't put a lot of mileage on, but when I do, it's about 120 miles roundtrip (so the EV doesn't really help much on drives like that). And it seems that the MPG between the normal Prius and the Prime are almost about the same. Is it worth the bother and higher cost? (Yes, I know there are rebates -- I'm in California -- but you have to wait until the following year's tax return, still have to pay sales tax on the higher amount, have to have the tax liability, etc). For my kind of driving (no daily commute, but when I do drive, it's usually 120-130 miles), aren't sure there's an advantage to getting the Prime. Feel free to make the case for or against the Prime vs the normal Prius for someone who only drives a couple days a week, usually 120-130 mile trips.

Thanks in advance for any of the answers!

 

First of all, thank you everyone for the answers!!
Two last questions:
(1) Cargo space: don't need a lot of it, but want to put in a non-folding stand, which is 40 inches long, and (just at the top and bottom) about 20 inches wide. Would something 40 inches long fit?
(2) Does the Prime or Prius come with a spare, or just an inflator kit?

To answer Bob Wilson: (Question regarding buying the Prime vs the normal Prius):

Gas prices currently are $2.75 (cheapest, where I buy it) to $2.95 for 87 grade. Of course, like what the electricity rates (below) will soon be doing, I expect gas prices to rise as well.

Electricity: without being on an "EV" plan (which I probably wouldn't do since this is a smaller capacity battery and I don't drive all that much):
Tier 1: 16.9c (I'm always in this tier, to usually the 3/4ths mark, as I live alone and try not to waste electricity).
Tier 2: (if I were to go into it) is something around 23c if I remember right.
But note that the local power company just asked for (and will probably be granted) a large rate increase for a year from now. So for the future, might be better to assume something like 19c for Tier 1 and a similar increase for Tier 2. Of course gas prices will probably go up too.

Driving habits: VERY LITTLE "local" driving (I'll walk to a lot of places). I'll drive when I get work, but unfortunately don't work that much anymore (0-2 days a week at the most now). Basically I'd say about 7,000-8,000 miles a year at this point.

Rebates: I live in California which offers $1,500 cash back for this vehicle (nice, as it's "cash"), and the IRS gives you a tax credit of $4,500 (if you have the tax liability -- I most likely will).

HOV lane: nice, but not super-important, as a lot of my commute when I do work is on a freeway without the HOV, and the other freeway is (within the next year) about to turn the HOV into a pay system for a good part of it. So there will be times where I could use it here and there, but it's not as important to me as it might be to others.

Feelings: my heart wants an electric car (though the Prime isn't much of an EV if, when you drive, your commute is 120 miles). Still, it's something. Like the HOV lane, it'd be a nice feeling for me to have a least a little bit of an electric car, though if the equation tilts a lot to getting just a normal Prius, it won't break my heart (just as long as I don't go back to a normal old gas car!)

My choices are either the normal Prius (lower or mid range model, hopefully with navi, but don't really want a lot of fancy options) vs the Middle Prime model (the one with the larger screen, but not the fancier Advanced model).

 

Thank you again, everyone for the answers!

If I may... just a couple quick questions, having to do with which TRIM level of the Prime to get.
It's between the PLUS and the PREMIUM.
I normally opt for the basic trim level (don't care for a lot of extra features in general), and I also prefer cloth seats over leather/softex (don't care about spills and cloth doesn't get hot in the hot sun like leather/softex would).

But I did have only two concerns with getting the basic PLUS version over the PREMIUM:

(1) THE DISPLAY: I realize it's a 7" vs 11.6" display. But other than the larger size, are you really giving up anything important by getting the 7" version? Truthfully, I'd almost rather have a smaller one (less distracting).

(2) As far as the Navigation, will the Navi speak to you? (ie, "Turn Right in 500 feet") or must you constantly "watch" the display to see what to do next? If it will speak to you, then the smaller display isn't so bad, I think.

(3) Keyless Entry: Here's the one thing it might be better to get the premium, as I often am putting equipment in the back seat when I enter my car. But I had a question about how this works on the Prime. Toyota's website says the basic PLUS will keyless the driver's door, while the PREMIUM will keyless 3 doors. If I wind up getting the PLUS, how would that work then? It would sense me coming, and the driver's door would open... how would I then open the back door to put equipment onto the back seat? Is there a "door open" button on the remote, or must I reach into the car and find an unlock switch on the car?

Honestly, for around $1800 difference (the price difference around here between the two trims) I'm gravitating towards the basic PLUS. I like cloth seats better, as long as the Navi will speak I'd almost rather have the smaller screen, and didn't see many other features that the Premium adds that I'd be interested in. Probably the only thing might be the keyless entry. I'd say 80% of the time I get in the car I have to put equipment in the back seat. Keyless on the PLUS apparently is only driver's side door. But I've never had keyless before (ie, I'm used to pressing a button to open up the doors on my current car), so maybe it's not so big a deal if I can just push a button on the remote to open the back door before I get there.

(4) Are there buttons on the remote to open all the doors? if I get the basic PLUS trim and want to open up the left rear door?

(5) If you walk away from the car, does it automatically lock all the doors?
If so, can you set it so it doesn't lock all the doors when you leave the car? (ie, if I park in my garage at night and I don't need or want to lock the doors). I've never had keyless before, but there's absolutely no need to lock the doors when I'm parked in my garage at night.

For those of you who have the Prime, can you set it up so it DOESN'T lock the doors as you walk away?

Again, thanks for all the answers, folks! It's really helping!