•
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 opposed to the X/GE's glovebox hole), 50/50 split/fold rear seats, full size wheel covers and a rear wash/wipe. A three speed automatic option was available with the XU5 engined GL. Later in the production run, the XL model was dropped, and a 1769 cc XUD turbo diesel engine was added to the L range, to become GLDTurbo, which featured alloy wheels (from the Peugeot 205 1.6 GTI), uprated GTI specification suspension, and a pair of front fog lights. Options on this also included central locking, electric front windows and the Peugeot vacuum operated moonroof, essentially a large glass sliding sunroof. •
GLX:
1294 cc G1A,
1360 cc TU3, and
1580 cc XU5 engines, all with five speed gearboxes and all with five doors. Standard equipment includes a digital clock, a tachometer, a sliding glass moonroof, sports style seats (similar to those fitted to the 205 XS), rear wash/wipe, door bump strips, intermittent wipe, and a small boot spoiler. The 1.6 model also added central locking and front electric windows to the list. Post facelift 1.3 models and the 1.4 model also have central locking. Curiously, if the GLX was ordered in white, and later burgundy red, the bumpers were body coloured, with a contrasting trim strip, red with the white bumpers and silver with the burgundy ones. After the facelift the bumpers also gained a pair of fog lights. A reflective strip panel was also on the options list, that replaced the louvred panel that sits between the rear lights. •
GR Profile:
1294cc G1A, five doors. Intended as competition for such cars as the
Austin Maestro HLE, the GR Profile used exactly the same G1A engine as the lower models in the range, but combined it with subtle aerodynamic improvements and lower rolling resistance tyres to reduce the drag coefficient of the car, with the brochure claiming a fuel economy improvement of three miles per
gallon at a constant . The standard equipment list included an instrument lighting rheostat, a digital clock, an engine compartment undershield, a glovebox lamp, a carpeted boot and a boot light. Options included metallic paint, central locking, and electric windows. It was discontinued sometime in 1988, at about the time of the introduction of the GLX. •
XR, GR:
1580cc XU5, and
1905cc XUD engines, XR three door, GR five door. Much the same as the GR Profile in specification, with much the same standard features, and options. Was available later with the fuel injected XU5 engine, and also a detuned version, badged GRi, to address the problems Peugeot had with the XU engine and 95 octane fuels. Later in the run, a 1769 cc XUD turbo diesel model was also added, to become the GRDTurbo. This came with all the features as the GLDTurbo, and also added the features on the options list as standard. The XR was unavailable in the United Kingdom. The
309 Automatic received equipment about on par with the GR, and was available with either the 1.6-liter XU5 or later with a lower-tuned, catalyzed 1.9-liter XU9J1 engine with . Specifications varied somewhat depending on the market. •
SR, SRD, SR Injection:
1580 cc XU5, and
1905 cc XUD engines, all with five doors. The SR model was intended to top the range, along with the GR. The SR used the tune single carb XU5, the SRD used the XUD9, and the SR Injection used the XU5 from the 205 GTI 1.6. Equipment levels as standard were much the same as the GR, with the addition of central locking, internally adjustable headlights, a map reading light, electric windows in the front, Windsor velour seat trim and fibre-optic dashboard dials. The SR Injection, in addition, added alloy wheels, remote controlled central locking, and remote controlled heated door mirrors. The options list included metallic/black paint, front fog lights, a sliding glass sunroof, an automatic gearbox (SR only), and SR decals on the rear flanks. These were only built in Phase 1 guise and many enthusiasts say that the SR was a better balanced car to drive than the GTI. However, not many SRs remain. •
XS and SX:
1580cc XU5, three door version was designated XS and the five door version SX. Marketed as a sporty model, to complement the GTI, with the XU5 injection engine. Was a little more basic than the SR models, to enhance the sporty feel, and made do without such things as luxury seats, instead having the tweed sports seats from the Peugeot 205 XS. In some markets, such as Sweden and Switzerland, the XS was fitted with the XU9M, a lower tuned version of the GTi's 1.9-liter engine producing . It also came with opening rear windows (three door), a digital clock, a black spoiler (painted spoiler from the GTI after the facelift), driving lamps and a load area lamp. Options included alloy wheels, central locking/electric windows (only available as a twinned options pack), a sliding glass sunroof and front fog lights. The SX model was not available in the United Kingdom. •
GTI:
1905 cc XU9, three or five doors. Introduced in February 1987 in three-door form, the five-door variant arrived shortly thereafter. The very high
power-to-weight ratio (160 PS / 975 kg) resulted in a highly responsive drive, even by modern standards. The catalyzed version produces ; the non-catalyzed version was no longer built for 1993. •
XA, XAD, three-door van models with minimal equipment and no rear seats. These were introduced in February 1987. The XA originally received the 1,118 or 1,294 cc Simca petrol engines with , while the XAD received the typical 1,905 cc engine with . After the 1989 "Phase 2" facelift, the petrol engines were replaced by the , 1,124 cc TU-series engine. Some notable limited edition models included: The
Zest/
Zest D and the
Trio/
Trio D editions, with
1124/1360 cc TU engines and
1905 cc XUD engines, with unique seat fabric, green seatbelts and side decals down both flanks. The
Look, available in blue, white, and very scarce black were fitted with unique seat fabric with a sunroof and coloured bumper inserts. The
Green, produced between 1987 and 1991, available in 3/5 doors versions, with the unique "
Blanc Meije" color, white wheel hubs, sunroof, unique decals and "
Green" logo in the back, green seatbelts and interior fabric, tinted windows, rear windshield wiper, painted bumpers with a unique green stripe. The
Goodwood, Limited Edition for the United Kingdom was a GTI with full black leather interior as standard, and no cost optional wooden steering wheel, gearknob and CD Autochanger. The 309 Goodwood was only available in limited numbers for the United Kingdom (only 398 vehicles were constructed) in metallic pinewood green with anthracite Speedline alloy wheels, with a polished metal lip on the outer rim and badging depicting the Goodwood racing circuit on the front wings, tailgate and steering wheel boss. When the Goodwood was launched, the high asking price resulted in some examples not finding homes until 1994, hence some being registered on an 'L' prefix registration. ==Models==