By Andy Tarnoff Publisher Published Apr 24, 2013 at 8:33 AM

If I were a less verbose writer, I could sum up the 2013 Jaguar XJ in one word: perfection.

But that wouldn’t make for much of a review, and after a month with the XJ that Fields Jaguar in Waukesha loaned me, I have so much more to say.

I’ll start with this: If you’re the kind of person who can afford to spend $73,000 on a car, and you require something with four seats, this is the car you should buy. Run, don’t walk, to Fields Jaguar and buy it. Now.

The Jaguar XJ is a spectacular combination of power, luxury, sexiness, British refinement, ergonomics, gadgetry, and amazingly, fuel economy.

A car just shouldn’t be this great.

The one I’ve been driving is British Racing Green, naturally. It’s long and sexy and fast, and the creamy tan leather interior resembles more closely a private jet than a family sedan.

Let’s start with how the XJ drives. With a 340 hp 3.0 liter V6 supercharged engine, it’s insanely fast. Torque comes in at a whopping 332 foot pounds. Rarely did I find myself in a position to floor it, but when I did, I’d be cruising around 90 before realizing I’d better slow down. (It’s rated at 5.7 seconds for 0-60, but it feels way faster.)

At that speed, the eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters (a minor bummer that there’s no manual option) felt like it was idling. The top speed is electronically limited at 121 miles per hour, which is a little disappointing – not because anyone should be driving that fast, but if one was, the XJ would barely break a sweat.

Yes, the XJ has an absurd amount of power, but with its start/stop eco setting turned on, this humungous, 3,800-pound sedan returned 19.8 MPG in mixed driving over about 1,0000 miles. It gets an amazing 27 MPG on the highway. Apparently, there’s a long wheelbase version, too. Mine was considered short, but just barely fit in my garage.

Design-wise, somehow, this car looks like it’s moving, even when it’s standing still. It sports an impossibly long hood, a profile that cuts an aggressive line that looks a little like a Tesla or an Aston Martin. The only angle I don’t love is from the back – its vertical taillights, to me, aren’t as cool as those of the Jaguar XF.

But the interior is a sight to behold. Every inch is leather, chrome or walnut, and I’ve never sat in such a luxurious cockpit. Heated and cooled seats are great, and the massaging driver and passenger seats are better. The ergonomics largely match the beautiful XF I drove this winter, but are taken up yet another notch.

The little touches jump out as you spend more time with this masterpiece. Like how the wiper fluid dispenses from the wipers themselves, eliminating spray. Or the blue halo ambient light that glows at night. Or the extremely accurate voice control. Or the completely digital and ever-changing dashboard. Or the huge touchscreen and bluetooth audio on the loudest stereo I’ve ever heard. Or the panoramic tinted roof, or the adaptive Xenon lights, or the ample leg room ...

I could go on and on and on; can you tell I’m smitten? I don’t want to give this car back, and, no, Fields didn’t pay me to write this. My review is 100 percent honest. I. Love. This. Car.

I’m actually searching for something negative to say, but other than the rear light design and maybe the relative difficulty in parallel parking such a big car, I can’t find reason to complain, other than on price. But either you can afford this car or you cannot. It’s not the kind of vehicle, however, you buy because of MSRP.

The RWD "base model" goes for $73,200, but I have to put that in quotes because there’s nothing base about it. Add another $3,500 for AWD and keep on upgrading all the way to the 550 hp V8 for $112,000. Or heck, why not drop $155,00 for the XJL Ultimate?

But seriously, this is the first luxury car I’ve ever driven that actually felt worth its high price tag, if any car can ever be worth the price of a starter home. I spent a month with the Jaguar XJ and never saw another one on the road -- but at least one person complimented it nearly every day.

That’s all great if you’re buying a car just as a status symbol. For me, the fun was mostly behind the wheel – and in the massaging seats, of course.

Jaguar has captured me hook, line and sinker. While this is the most incredible car I’ve ever driven, it’s still third on my personal Jaguar depth chart: if money were no object, you’d see me in an XJ first. If money were an object – and it is – I’d pick the Jaguar XF.

Still, this is a special automobile, one that tugs at your heartstrings just as much as it tugs at your wallet. When you drive it, you’ll have a hard time going back to anything less; my 2011 BMW X3 feels lackluster compared to the Jag, and that’s saying something.

I hope someday I’m in the position to consider buying this car for real. It’s a rare kind of luxury behind the wheel, and I never found myself tired of driving it. In a world of overhyped brands, there’s no overhyping the Jaguar XJ. It is perfect. Gorgeous, rare, amazing perfection.

Do I really have to give it back?

Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.

Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.

Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.