1989 Facelift
A mild facelift in October 1989 revised the design of the rear, lowering the boot lip and changing the rear lights, as well as providing an updated interior to address severe criticisms levelled at the 309's multi-piece dashboard which was prone for developing squeaks and rattles. Also, in 1990, 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. In 1991 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 (with 160 PS/118 kW; 158 hp in uncatalyzed form), was also introduced with this facelift (see trim levels below).
Read more about this topic: Peugeot 309