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The Infiniti Q45 arrived in the 1990 model year to do battle in a market segment dominated by the domestics and ignored by the Japanese–full-size luxury cars.

Cadillac and Lincoln reigned supreme while Mercedes-Benz and a raft of other Europeans were noticeable by their presence–and sales.

The Japanese had gained a foothold in the U.S. in the ’70s by methodically producing small, high-mileage economy cars that Detroit couldn’t care less about because it lost money on each one sold.

Why bother with small cars that drained the treasury? Focus on Cadillac DeVilles and Lincoln Town Cars that filled the coffers to overflowing.

Then in the late ’80s, with the economy-car segment in their control, the Japanese formed luxury divisions to market big, high-profit cars in the U.S.–Nissan the Infiniti, Toyota the Lexus and Honda the Acura.

Now, a new millennium finds a Japanese car line, Lexus, as the top selling nameplate in the luxury segment, with sales last year of 206,000 units topping second place Mercedes-Benz at 205,000. Best the domestics could do was Lincoln in third place at 193,000, with BMW in fourth at 189,400 and Cadillac in fifth at 189,100. Neither Acura at 142,000 nor Infiniti at 78,000 finished in the top 5.

Lincoln and Cadillac seem to be sharing the same fate in luxury cars as Chevrolet and Ford did in economy cars in watching the Japanese pass them buy.

The Japanese now offer a variety of high-priced luxury sedans selling well enough to return sufficient profit to fund production of full-size luxury sport-utility vehicles and full-size pickup trucks, two other market segments that had been the exclusive domain of the domestics.

When Lexus and Infiniti were introduced, they cause somewhat of a stir. The Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45 were rather nice machines, though Lexus focused on high luxury, and Infiniti concentrated on high performance.

For 2002 there’s a redesigned, next-generation Q45, a rear-wheel-drive sedan that still can leave the line quickly but now offers an abundance of luxury and high-tech amenities to help you enjoy the ride.

We tested the 2002 Q45 with the Sport package ($1,500) and its sports-tuned suspension that delivers smooth, precise handling with a minimum of harshness and is complemented with 18-inch radials tuned for handling rather than the standard 17-inch radials designed for touring.

When you reach a long stretch of straight pavement after playing on twisting roads, push a button and exit the handling mode in favor of a touring mode with an emphasis on softer, jostle-free ride.

The Q45 comes with Vehicle Dynamic Control as standard to automatically apply brake pressure and/or engine torque management to keep you in control in understeer or oversteer situations that could lead to slips or skids. It also comes with four-wheel-disc brakes with anti-lock, traction control and Brake Assist as sta ndard. The latter system reduces pedal effort in hard or panic situations to quickly activate ABS.

Late this summer, Infiniti will add an optional adaptive cruise-control system to automatically apply brakes and/or reduce engine fuel flow should you get too close to a vehicle ahead or if a vehicle should pull out in front of you. Should be a good option to have. At the same time, run-flat tires will become an option, too, but only in the 17-inch size.

For 2002 the 4.1-liter, 270-horsepower V-8 that propelled the predecessor rather anemically has been replaced by a 4.5-liter, 340-h.p., 32-valve V-8. Originally the Q45 came with a 4.5-liter V-8, but a 4.1-liter V-8 replaced it in the interest of fuel economy.

The new 4.5-liter V-8 is much more alert and spirited than the 4.1. And it is teamed with a smooth 5-speed automatic. Mileage rating is a decent 17 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway.

With the redesign comes some dimension changes, less than an inch re width for a slightly roomier cabin and an inch and a half longer wheelbase for smoother ride. If the door armrests were slimmed, the cabin would be roomier.

The test car came with optional ($2,100) navigation system and standard vehicle information system with push-button or voice-activated controls.

Call up “navigation system” and the dash screen not only responds to pinpoint where you are and where you want to go, but also shows the nearest restaurants, gas stations and ATM stations in between.

We’ve never found a navigation system worth the $2,100 investment, but the voice-activated controls for navigation, phone, audio and climate control systems adds an out-of-the-ordinary (Jaguar has them, too) luxury touch–provided you are willing to sit for several minutes with the salesman for a detailed briefing and have a very good memory. A cheat sheet is included, but allow lots of time for instruction. Of course, this scribe is dotcom challenged so it should be easier for the masses.

If you want cooler air while following the navigation routing, say “climate control,” then “75 degrees” then “raise fan speed” and it’s done.

That info center also includes manual controls for a tire-pressure monitor that gives a visual warning if a tire has lost air, but not which tire. For that you have to pull over and look on your own.

Other notable features include high-intensity discharge headlamps with seven mini lenses that are not only decorative, but also allow you to adjust lamp height depending whether you want to see farther down the road when traveling through deer country at night or close by if heavy rain or fog sets in; a massive trunk that can hold several golf bags and hide a full-size spare ($180) under the floor; and a valet key hidden in the regular fob that releases by pressing a switch so you can leave car and fob but a locked glovebox and trunk with the attendant.

Another nice touch, provided you hand over $500, is a rear window shade activated by a button in the overhead console.

Rear-seat occupants have their own button in the armrest to control the shade, too. Rear side windows also have sunshades, but you have to pull and fasten them manually. One of life’s hardships.

To atone for making rear-seat occupants pull a shade, you can appease them with power reclining seats, though to do so will cost $8,000 for the Premium package that includes heated reclining rear seats along with rear-seat audio and climate controls.

The Premium package also includes the navigation system and sunshades as well as a second set of eyes for the driver, a rear monitor system with a camera near the license plate that sends a continuous wide angle look at what’s behind when backing up to the vehicle information system screen upfront. No warning buzzer if you get too close, however. You have to rely on your vision, not that of sonar sensors.

The Q45 starts at $50,500. Standard equipment includes front/side air bags as well as side-impact curtains that drop from the roof to protect front- and rear-seat occupants in a side collision, climate control, power sunroof, power driver/passenger seats, power windows and locks, dual power mirrors, rear window defroster, color-keyed bumpers and bodyside moldings, Bose audio system with cassette and CD player and a first-aid kit.