PEOPLE just can’t get enough of retro these days. Young blokes are wandering around inner-city suburbs sporting moustaches and young ladies are in maxi-dresses, riding old-fashioned pushbikes.

Second-hand clothes are suddenly expensive and labelled “vintage”, with a similar effect applying to furniture that only a couple of years ago would have been considered ideal for your grandparents’ home.

Perhaps this is how Volkswagen justifies charging $29,990 for a car based on the previous-generation Golf but with less sophisticated suspension and less interior space.

But what VW refers to as the 21st Century Beetle is a far better effort than the twee and cynical “New Beetle” it replaces, with a great blend of nostalgia and modern engineering that makes for a fun driving experience.

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