The XJ four-door sedan series was introduced in 1969 as the most gorgeous, most roadworthy, most unreliable, expensive sedan around. This writer bought one, an XJ6, right off the showroom floor and for 45,000 miles had a wonderful driving experience and the most harrowing and costly reliability experience.

That was then, and now things have changed dramatically for the better. With Ford Motor Co.’s money and modern manufacturing methods, the 2004 Jaguar XJ8 is a worthy competitor to any of its peers, the BMW 745i, the Mercedes Benz S500, the Audi A8 and, of course, the Volkswagen Phaeton.

The 2004 Jaguar XJ8 can elicit shivers of excitement from drivers.

The reliability problems have been conquered, at least as far as they can be in any luxury car with 20 to 30 onboard computers, oodles of sensors and miles of wiring. In fact, J.D. Powers’ 2004 automobile initial quality study rated Jaguar third from the top behind Lexus and Cadillac, and that indicates how far up the quality ladder Jaguar has climbed since this tester’s experience with the 1971 Jaguar XJ6. (Mercedes, Audi and BMW were 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, in this survey).

Unfortunately, the legacy of less than reliable cars in its past has dramatically knocked the XJ’s financial depreciation to much worse than average for this type of car. If you plan to keep it for a long time, that is not a big problem. But if you plan to lease or keep it for only a couple of years, you will pay, and pay handsomely, for the privilege.

The 2004 XJ8 is a truly gorgeous car to look at and be in. It is without a doubt one of the best road cars that this tester has experienced. Its highway performance is one of effortless cruising, exciting high-speed passing, sports car cornering, eerie quiet and relaxing feel.

To top it all, the fuel consumption is hard to believe. On the test drive to Reno and back, the overall fuel consumption for high-speed driving, aggressive mountain climbing and rapid acceleration while passing on two-way roads was just over 27mpg. Jaguar’s use of lighter aluminum for the chassis and body, the car’s aerodynamic shape and good engine efficiency are the major reasons for the excellent gas mileage.

There is something cat-like about the way Jaguars deal with the road. They are so “planted,” with paws at all four corners, totally poised, waiting to leap at their prey. It seems uncanny to this tester that the 1970 XJ6 and the 2004 XJ8 are so alike in this feeling.

The all-aluminum 4.2 liter, 32-valve, 294 hp V-8 engine in this car is a “state-of-the-art” Jaguar design with variable cam phasing and other advanced design elements. Punch it, and you are treated to an exciting, virile sporting sound as it polishes off the competition. This engine, or derivatives of it, power the Ford Thunderbird and the Lincoln LS.

The six-speed transmission is a honey on the road, either in full automatic mode, in “sport” passing mode or manually shifted. The only complaint would be the lack of positive feeling detents when manually shifting. You can easily find the wrong gear.

The speed-sensitive steering and the air leveling suspension work magnificently under all road conditions. At first the car feels a little floaty, but throw it into a corner and without any lean, it just goes around, totally poised. Very relaxing to drive.

The radio tuner is not in the same league as other luxury cars, or even your average Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, etc. It has difficulty keeping 89.5 (NPR) or even 95.7 in North County. They fade in and out and you really can’t listen to them. The stereo system is OK, not the best, and the lack of a combination dash-mounted CD player and tape player is a serious shortcoming in this class of car. Last month’s review of the Honda Accord revealed that it had both.

Jaguar is behind the times with a trunk-mounted seven-Compact Disk cartridge instead of a console 6-CD changer like most Japanese and American cars. You can have a tape deck or a single CD unit in the dash with the trunk- mounted cartridge.

The automatic climate control worked well keeping the car cool in up to 110-degree July desert weather.

The test car was a Jaguar Vanden Plas, which with all the gadgets that most luxury cars have — heated seats and steering wheel, rear park warning, power adjustable pedals, dynamic stability control, CATS active suspension — has a suggested retail price of $68,330. The basic XJ8 is priced at $59,830 and lacks the alloy wheels, upgraded stereo, heated seats, heated wood and leather steering wheel and Xenon headlights of the Vanden Plas. The Vanden Plas has a few other options not available on the basic XJ8.

The third version offered is the rocket ship XJR with a supercharger producing 390 hp. This is reputed to be the fastest four-door sedan sold in the U.S. How about a neck-snapping 5-seconds-plus to 60 mph? This one comes in at a wallet-thinning $75,330. A navigation system costs $2,300 for any of the three versions of XJ.

The warranty on these cars is four years or 50,000 miles and the EPA fuel mileage is 18 city/28 highway except for the XJR, which is rated at 17 city/24 highway.

MSN’s owner satisfaction survey ranks the XJ series at 9.4 for the 2004 models and 9.7 for the 2003 models. These are high numbers indeed. The XJ is not perfect, but with technology, drivability and comfort to match any competitor, it no longer has to depend on an earlier reputation. For Mercedes Benz, BMW, Lexus, Cadillac and Audi, this car is a player to be reckoned with. The British are back!

If you have $60,000 to $70,000 to spend, do yourself a favor and visit Cush Jaguar for a test drive. Even if you don’t buy, you won’t be sorry.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 55 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at austin@sandiegometro.com.