MAZDA in Japan finally had a badly needed success on its hands with the 121 Metro, a spacious, utilitarian light car with a rugged pseudo off-road look that seemed to pre-empt where light car design was heading. But Australians had little love for the box that burst our beloved bubble, the 121 "Bubble" that is. And we weren't too keen on the Metro’s basic cabin and initial high prices either. The entry-level version was lumbered with a 53kW 1.3-litre engine and 5-speed manual or three-speed automatic gearbox option, while the 1.5-litre engine pumped out an extra 11kW of power while its auto offered an extra ratio. All Metros came with an airbag and power steering, while the Shades special editions from October ’97 had air-conditioning, while the Shades Extra added better audio. These were necessary to entice light car buyers back into Mazda showrooms. A small but worthwhile update arrived in early 2000, but it wasn't until the debut of the all-new Mazda 2 in late 2002 that Mazda's fortunes in this segment started to turn around...