Engine Water Pump-water Pump(standard) Gates 42571 on 2040-parts.com

The Great Date Car Debate: Top 10 date cars from his perspective--and hers

Here at AutoWeek, we've seen plenty of top 10 lists for date cars over the past few years. They all seem to have one thing in common: They're written by male bloggers whose most recent date was with a two-liter of Mountain Dew and a PlayStation 3. Since we have both men and women on our editorial staff, we decided to get a read on the subject of date cars from an actual representative sample of the dating pool.

Ford Focus RS500 (2010) first official pictures

This is the new Ford Focus RS500, a special limited edition version of the Blue Oval’s mad Focus RS hot hatch with 15% more power. For a start there’s that extra power. Thanks to a larger air-to-air intercooler, a bigger air filter and a wider diameter exhaust downpipe (plus a new ECU to take advantage of the mechanical changes) peak power is up from 301bhp to 345lb ft at 6000rpm, while torque climbs from 325lb ft to 339lb ft. The result is a 5.6sec 0-62mph time (down three-tenths) while the top speed climbs two notches to 165mph.

Frankfurt 2013: electric Volkswagen e-Golf and e-Up! confirmed

Volkswagen has confirmed its all-electric zero tailpipe emissions e-Golf hatchback and e-Up! city car will both debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show this September. According to VW, the new Golf and Up!