DB13 (Mk3) 121 Metro

A redesigned grille, headlights, bumpers and tail-lights, a revised dashboard and new trim and colours summed up the mild Metro makeover for the new millennium.

Like the Bubble 1.3-litre had a decade earlier, the Metro’s 1.3-litre engine finally received the four-speed auto gearbox. Refinement levels also improved slightly.

Mazda Australia had to wait until the ‘2’ arrived in late 2002 before it had a success to match the 121 Bubble.