Peugeot · 1985–1997

Peugeot 309

The Peugeot 309 is a small family car that was manufactured between 1985 and 1994 in France, England and Spain by PSA Peugeot Citroën. It was originally intended to be badged as a Talbot and, as development progressed, to be called the Talbot Arizona. It was the replacement for the Talbot Horizon, which had started life as a Chrysler in Britain and a Simca in France, and was also being built in several guises for the market in America. In 1985, the PSA Group decided to discontinue the Talbot brand, with the last passenger vehicle branded as a Talbot to be launched being the Samba of 1981, and to market the car as a Peugeot instead. The Talbot brand was phased out completely when Talbot Express production stopped in 1994.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Peugeot 305|Talbot Horizon · Successor: Peugeot 306

All Peugeot 309 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

The 309 had been conceived as Projet C28 as a replacement for the Talbot Horizon, and as a result its development had been performed by the former Chrysler/Simca wing of PSA. Styling was the responsibility of the former Chrysler-Rootes design studios in Coventry, whilst much of the engineering was done at the Simca site at Poissy in France. The only stipulation from PSA management was that the new car had to use as much existing architecture as possible; hence the use of a stretched Peugeot 205 floorpan and door shells, whilst the Simca engines and transmissions from the Horizon were also carried over. The 309's design was presaged by the 1982 Peugeot VERA Plus (followed by the VERA Profil in 1985), which were aerodynamic studies developed by Peugeot at the time. The VERA Plus claimed a very low drag coefficient of Cd=0.22. Many of the aerodynamic features from the VERA studies found their way into later production Peugeots. Production in France began at the former Simca plant in Poissy in the end of summer 1985, with the first French customers getting their cars in October of that year; but it was decided that RHD models would be built at the Ryton plant near Coventry, which had previously been owned by the Rootes Group and then Chrysler Europe before Peugeot took it over in 1978. The first 309 for the British market rolled off the production line at Ryton in October 1985, and sales began the beginning of 1986, although left-hand drive sales of the Poissy built models began in France in October 1985. The only bodywork available originally was the five-door hatchback. The 309 was not intended to replace Peugeot's own model, the 305, but the out of step model number (the next small family car after the 305 should have been named "306" which eventually launched in 1993)

Facelift (Phase 2)

The summer of 1989 saw the introduction of the Phase 2 Peugeot 309. It revised the design of the rear, considerably lowering the boot lip, changing the rear lights to a more 'smoked style' and making slight alterations to the front radiator grille. Also, an updated interior was required to address severe criticisms leveled at the Phase 1's, Talbot-designed multi-piece dashboard which was prone to developing squeaks and rattles. The GTi models received a colour-coded, one-piece rear spoiler as opposed to the Phase 1's outdated rubber spoiler which, by then, harked back to early 1980s design practice. Quite importantly a modified gearbox called 'BE3' was introduced, a revision of the original 'BE1' unit, placing reverse in the "down and to the right" position behind fifth gear, as opposed to the earlier "up and to the left" position next to first gear. Retrospectively, the 'BE3' gearboxes are slightly less prone to failure than their earlier counterparts. This was also when Peugeot gradually phased in their, all new, belt driven TU Series overhead camshaft engines, in 1,124 cc and 1,360 cc forms, eventually replacing the trusty Simca units during 1992. The GTi 16 model, featuring the XU9J4 engine from the 405 Mi16, was also introduced at this time; however, these were only sold in mainland Europe. (See Trim levels) End of production. Towards the end of 1992, production of the 309 began to wind down in anticipation of the launch of the new Peugeot 306, returning Peugeot to their normal numbering scheme. In July 1993, the 309 lineup was severely reduced and only the two Vital (petrol or diesel) models remained on sale until December. In total, 1,635,132 Peugeot 309s were built between 1985 and 1993. 18,262 of these were the GTi model, and 5,896 were GTi 16. As of 2018, only

Trim levels

XE, GE: 1118cc E1A or 1294cc G1A OHV Simca engine, X with three doors and G with five doors. The 1118 cc engine came with a four speed gearbox, whilst the 1294 cc came with a five speed gearbox. Standard equipment was sparse, featuring a rear bench seat, heated rear window, small wheel centre wheel covers, as well as a flick wipe facility. Options included a rear wash/wipe, side bump strips on the doors, and a pop up sunroof. Many special editions were based on the X/GE, such as the Sport model, which came with a spoiler and side decals; and also the Sunseeker model, which came with a pop up sunroof, and side decals. In some markets a diesel E model was also available, using the 1905 cc XUD engine. All diesel models carry the D suffix on the model badge (XLD, GLD). The Special Equipment model available in the United Kingdom in 1989 also added a pop up sunroof and a rear wash/wipe to the standard equipment list. The E designation was replaced by the Style designation, which began as a special edition in 1987, but became a part of the range from 1988, to denote the base model, in line with other contemporary Peugeot models of the time (e.g. the Peugeot 205 Style and the Peugeot 405 Style). The Style was also available with the 1124 cc and 1360 cc TU and 1905 cc XUD (Style D) engines, all with five speed gearboxes, after the Simca units were phased out. XL, GL: 1294 cc G1A, 1580 cc XU5, and 1905 cc XUD engines (with D suffix), all with five speed gearboxes, X with three doors and G with 5. The L model was available throughout the 309's production, varying differently from early to late cars. The early cars came with some standard features, such as better seat coverings than the E model, a clock on the dashboard, door bump strips, intermittent wipe, a glovebox door (as opp

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Peugeot 309
Manufacturer: Peugeot
Production: 1985–1994, 1995–1997 (India)
Assembly: France: Poissy (Poissy plant), Spain: Villaverde, United Kingdom: Ryton-on-Dunsmore (Ryton plant), Chile: Los Andes (Automotores Franco Chilena S.A.), India: Kalyan (Premier), Taiwan: Dacun (Yǔtián)
Engine: Petrol:, 1118 cc E1A OHV I4, 1124 cc TU1 I4, 1294 cc G1A I4, 1360 cc TU3 I4, 1580 cc XU5 I4, 1905 cc XU9 I4, Diesel:, 1769 cc XUD7 I4, 1769 cc XUD7 turbodiesel I4, 1905 cc XUD9 I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual, 3-speed automatic, 4-speed ZF 4HP14 automatic
Layout: FF layout
Related: Peugeot 205
Body style: 3/5-door hatchback/liftback
Predecessor: Chrysler-Talbot Horizon, Peugeot 305
Successor: Peugeot 306
Class: Small family car (C)
Wheelbase: 2470 mm
Length: 4050 mm
Width: 1630 mm
Height: 1380 mm

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1139986CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_309CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1364869921 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peugeot309_17D.jpgPublic domain · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Chaluco assumed (based on copyright claims). · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.