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The new 2002 Infiniti Q45 is a wonderful car — a fast, fulfilling luxury sedan that’s stocked with high-tech toys.

One wonders, though, if anyone will notice. After all, this is Infiniti’s third try at getting it right. And while BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have firm positions in the minds of luxury-car shoppers and both Audi and Acura have come far in recent years, too, Infiniti lags behind.

The first-generation Q that arrived in 1989 was a strong combination of muscle and emotion. But it wasn’t what the buying public wanted in a Japanese luxury car. The Lexus LS 400 was.

The second-generation Q that arrived in 1996 as a 1997 model traded its soul for sales. Only the predicted sales boom didn’t arise as potential buyers shunned its smaller cabin, tinier trunk and weaker engine. In 2000, Infiniti dealers sold fewer than 350 Q45s a month, while Lexus dealers sold more than 1,300 LS models monthly.

The third-generation Q arriving in showrooms now shows Infiniti is back on the right path.

Power comes from a 4.5-liter, 32-valve, double-overhead-cam V-8. Infiniti lists performance numbers of 340 horsepower and 333 foot-pounds of torque. (The same size V-8 in the first Q made 278 horsepower, by the way.) Those numbers are superior to the immediate competition.

On the road, this is a serious quick car. The week I spent behind the wheel was one where I was constantly checking the speedometer and tapping the brake to avoid legal unpleasantness.

The ride and handling is excellent because of the car’s tighter body and improved suspension. The ’02 Q has all manner of safety and driver-improvement systems as well.

The designers of the Q45 made a lot of right decisions. Its classy, conservative, somewhat aggressive look puts it right in step with Lexus and Mercedes. But the details, such as the seven-lens high-intensity discharge headlights and the large grille, give it a contemporary touch.

The interior of the new Q45 is superior. The car is wider and taller than the previous model, so it feels more spacious. Rear-seat passengers will get a treat — comfortable leather seats that recline and slide forward.

Gauges are easy to read. I especially like the elegant chrome around the cassette tape opening. It was almost enough to get me to put away my CDs.

In the middle of the dash, there’s a driver information system with a seven-inch LCD screen that’s used for navigation, climate and audio functions. All of these can be controlled with the touch of one button on the steering wheel and the human voice. This voice-recognition system worked nearly flawlessly, as long as I remembered the proper wording of my commands. Want to switch radio stations? No problem. Need to turn down the air conditioning? That’s easy.

I was a little disappointed, though, that I couldn’t direct the navigation system to plot a course to a destination simply by using my voice. And, over al l, I found the Infiniti navigation system a little less user-friendly than some others I’ve tried recently.

Besides the voice-recognition system, the other neat gadget on the Q45 that I drove was the rear-view monitor system. Simply slip the transmission into reverse, and a small camera that’s next to the car’s rear license plate shows you what’s behind. The picture is displayed on the LCD screen. White lines superimposed on the screen tell you how close you are to something. It’s very neat, although a beep or some other sound that gets louder as you get closer to something would be a nice complement.

At $50,500, the new 2002 Q45 has a listed base price that’s a little cheaper than a 2001 BMW 540i sedan and a lot cheaper than either a 2001 Lexus LS 430 sedan or a 2001 Mercedes-Benz E430 sedan. All are rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered sedans. That’s the kind of aggressive pricing that has made the Acura TL such a hit in the near-luxury segment.

Maybe it’ll wor f Infiniti with the new Q45. It better, or this Q, while easily the best Q, likely will be the last Q.