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Never leave the house without clean underwear and never drive a Jaguar in the snow, the parents always warned.

Well, after carrying around a bag full of clean underwear for 40 plus years and only scheduling Jaguar test drives in July, the inevitable happened-a 1995 Jaguar XJ6 sedan arrived in the driveway a couple of days before eight inches of snow nearly buried it. So, with the bag of undies and the newly designed Jaguar in tow, we set off to test the sedan’s mettle, hoping not to have to test its metal and certainly hoping we wouldn’t have to dig into the brown paper bag before help arrived.

It was startling and enlightening. The rear-wheel-drive behemoth and symbol of wretched excess tread the same pavement as front-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles. Oh, it didn’t step as quickly as the others, but it was able to continue between the yellow lines while some of those bragging of FWD and even one with 4WD traction were watching us pass from roadside ditches.

It’s not that we’d prefer getting into an XJ6 when Mother Nature dumps a load, but with optional traction control and anti-lock brakes and what appears to be a more favorable weight distribution, it’s no longer necessary to lock the Jaguar up and hide the key until spring.

Before the storm, we had a few days of clear skies and roads and the chance to put the second-best-looking Brit (Di is No. 1. You had to ask?) through its paces.

The 4-liter, 245-horsepower, 24-valve, in-line, 6-cylinder engine is rather energetic considering the weight (4,100 pounds) it has to pull. Of course, those that flex muscle need nourishment, and the XJ6 is no exception with its 17 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway mileage rating. You’ll be the envy of all others when you pull up to the pump, but be prepared to be envied often.

Ride and handling are very pleasant. You feel few abrasions in the road thanks to revised shock and spring settings, and despite the Jaguar’s weight, you won’t lean or wander nearly as much in corners, turns or when semi-circling on expressway ramps as you might expect. Speed-sensitive power steering improves responsiveness to wheel input. Gone is the yacht like “feel” to the wheel. Thickly cushioned leather seats provide comfort and ample support.

The XJ6 sedan has been redesigned for 1995, boasting of 2,000 new or revised components, though the vehicle retains the unmistakable Jaguar look. A bonnet leaper provides a nifty decoration upfront. (The bonnet, of course, is the Brit term for hood; and boot is the trunk.) The XJ6 bonnet carries a leaping Jaguar ornament-or bonnet leaper. A bonnet squatter certainly would spoil the effect.

The leaper is a $200 option, though a Jaguar without a leaper is like a day without sunshine. If you have $54,000 to bring home an XJ6, what’s $200 more?

A couple of noticeable niceties include a digital clock in the dash where an analog timekeeper had rested and dual cupholders that pop out from the center armrest. We knew the association with Ford Motor Co. would pay off.

And when it’s time to exit the car, remove the ignition key and the steering column moves up and telescopes toward the dash to provide added room. Nice touch.

As for negatives, traction control would be much more appreciated if it were in a $4,900 package. And though you expect a $54,000 machine to be loaded with buttons and knobs and dials and levers, the ability to see them for easy use separates function from decoration.

A warning: When buying a car with a memory seat, which motors forward toward the steering wheel when you insert the key, determine the height of the previous driver lest you end up as a bonnet leaper.

The XJ6 we tested has a base price of $53,450. Standard equipment ranges from the typical dual air bags, power brakes (with ABS) and steering, power locks and windows, cruise control and air conditi oning, to redesigned door frames to reduce wind noise and double-sided, zinc-coated steel in most body panels to increase corrosion protection.

>> 1995 Jaguar XJ6 Wheelbase: 113 inches Length: 197.8 inches Engine: 4-liter, 245-h.p., 24-valve, in-line 6 cylinder Transmission: 4-speed automatic EPA mileage: 17 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway Base price: $53,450 Price as tested: $59,450. Add $200 for a bonnet leaper; $800 for an Alpine compact disc changer; $100 for a full-size spare tire; and $4,900 for a weather and luxury package (traction control, heated seats, headlamp washers, engine block heater, automatic self adjusting driver seat/steering wheel/door mirrors to his/her liking, electric automatic tilt and telescoping steering wheel, electric tilt and slide sunroof and integrated garage and/or entry gate opener. Freight runs $580. Pluses: Dual air bags and anti-lock brakes standard. Traction control an option. Dual cupholders and a digital clock. Quiet ride, smooth handling, the feeling of weight under/above/around you. Driver seat/steering wheel/mirrors adjust to each driver automatically and wheel tilts and telescopes to allow easy exit. Above average snob appeal. Minuses: Traction control part of a $4,900 package. Some controls hard to see/reach/use. If memory seat/steering wheel/mirrors last served someone 5-foot-1 and you aren’t, you, too, could become a bonnet leaper. >>