"This car is a spaceship," my son informed me, in the matter-of-fact tone he always uses when presenting knowledge imparted by commercials. I expect that he's somewhat outside the target demographic -- he's nine -- but his awareness is at least an indicator that Lincoln's message is filling the airwaves. And while that message is an obvious overstatement, the tech-laden MKS is undeniably the poster child for a big push underway at Lincoln, and parent company Ford as well. You'd be forgiving for thinking that CEO and recent Seattle transplant Alan Mulally had been plucked from Microsoft rather than Boeing.inline_mediumwraptextright24965581/reviews/driven/0908_2010_lincoln_mks0908_07_z+2010_lincoln_mKS+profile_view.jpgTrue

It used to be so easy: Manuals were for real drivers, automatics were for lame-os. Now we've got dual-clutch gearboxes that drive like automatics (scads), wet-clutch automatics that can tach up from a standing start like a manual (Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG), and manuals where a computer heel-and-toes for you (Nissan 370Z). The debate is less about performance - the Porsche 911 Turbo does 0 to 60 mph quicker with an auto than it does with a manual - and more about control. Sure, automatics execute rev-matched downshifts, and dual-clutch boxes may be faster around a track than manuals, but neither allows the driver complete control. And that's all the manual has left, really.