TL;DR
Between August 8 and August 14, 2025, the Openpilot community saw five notable model releases: Space Lab 3 v2, UV Model, Down to Ride v6, UV + DTR Model, and Falling Phoenix. Testers reported both breakthroughs — such as smoother torque handling, confident braking, and more stable lateral control — and some deal-breakers, including lane drift, over-aggressive low-speed launches, and inconsistent turn handling. All models are available in Sunnypilot via the Model Switcher in the Model menu.
Space Lab 3 v2 — Released Aug 8, 2025
Space Lab 3 v2 (SL3v2) arrived as an evolution of the Space Lab line, with a focus on smoother highway performance, stronger torque handling, and reduced mid-turn jerk. On highways, testers noted it could handle most curves without running out of torque, providing steady lane centering and more human-like recentering after turns. Long performance was widely praised for being smooth, confident, and more natural than stock ACC, particularly at higher speeds.
City driving, however, produced mixed results. While some found it offered solid lane placement and the best unwinding at the end of 90-degree turns, others reported that it struggled to commit fully to tight turns, often requiring driver intervention. A few drivers noted unpredictable lane positioning — hugging too far left or right, drifting into turn lanes mid-curve, or cutting corners, especially on left-hand turns. Gas gating behavior was also called out, with speed fluctuations that could be jarring in certain conditions.
Teal: “Really good lateral with angle… human-like recentering and does better with turns at speed.”
armanthehacker: “OP long on SL3v2 is really, really good… noticeably superior steering torque on the highway.”
warren: “Not the worst model, but I feel unsafe with its unpredictable lane position… sometimes dangerously cuts into the next lane.”
Stejpet: “Good placement in the lane and mostly smooth steering… but it liked to cut corners, especially left-handed ones.”
Jarrah: “Good lane centering and the best unwinding at the end of 90-degree turns.”
UV Model — Released Aug 11, 2025
The UV Model was billed as an “extreme test” from the Comma.ai model team, designed to push boundaries — and it certainly delivered polarizing results. While some praised its highly responsive long, aggressive acceleration from a stop, and improved lane centering in certain vehicles, others found the lateral behavior inconsistent, wobbly, and in some cases unsafe. Multiple testers reported ping-ponging, drifting across lane lines, and unpredictable behavior on both city streets and highways. Low-speed performance could be overly eager, launching forward as soon as the lead moved, while high-speed turns sometimes suffered from understeer followed by abrupt corrections. Despite the controversy, a few drivers noted the model felt more confident in turns and appreciated its decisiveness in following leads — even if sometimes too literally.
discountchubbs: “Way too aggressive at low speeds… like the lead just starts moving and it wants to send it.”
nayan: “Long seemed pretty good… more aggressive than others — and I love it.”
warren: “Three times at highway speeds it drifted out of lane… one of the most undependable lats I’ve tested.”
incode: “Lat on my Sienna is wild… trying to determine if this is two steps forward – one step back or the other way around.”
Nick: “Best lane centering I’ve tried… no ping pong for me.”
AB: “First model that tried to follow the lead off of every exit where there was one on the highway.”
Down to Ride v6 — Released Aug 12, 2025
DDown to Ride v6 (DTRv6) brings together the Space Lab 3 v2 vision model with a new DTR policy, aiming to retain the series’ trademark lateral performance while refining long behavior. From the start, testers praised its exceptional unwind, with some calling it the fastest since Vikander, snapping the wheel back to center after full turns. Lateral control was described as “butter-smooth,” with smaller, more frequent adjustments keeping the car confidently in lane. While experimental mode received mixed reviews, most agreed the strong lateral made up for any long quirks. Long performance was smoother than UV’s, avoiding the harsh acceleration some found in earlier models, though behavior without a lead was still under evaluation.
PilotRyuk: “Pretty good all around… city and highway were solid. 90-degree turns were real smooth with no oversteer.”
demiller9: “Followed curves from the start, never crossed a lane line… slows radically for some intersections without stop signs.”
discountchubbs: “Unwinds alone in my neighborhood make this my new daily… after full lefts and rights that wheel snaps back.”
Astro: “Doesn’t feel as confident as TR16v2, but the lat feels reallyyy smooth… long was also really promising with a lead car.”
kumar: “Solid — or should I say butter 🧈.”
UV + DTR Model — Released Aug 13, 2025
The UV + DTR model is an official upstream merge, combining UV’s long with DTR’s lateral in hopes of blending UV’s feature recognition with DTR’s proven handling. On paper, the pairing promised smoother lane control without ping-pong and more decisive acceleration and braking. In practice, feedback has been split. Some testers appreciated its stop-and-go behavior and clean painted-road performance, while others found it “floaty,” less confident on unmarked roads, and prone to late or over-shot stops. Compared to DTRv6, many felt it lacked the same sharp commitment in turns, with long performance that didn’t quite match expectations.
hi im isaac: “It actually vroomed from a stopped vehicle well and stopped behind lead vehicles phenomenally… sometimes it didn’t get to speed, but it didn’t ping pong.”
warren: “Pretty good on hkg angle just now but I didn’t test it at high speeds.”
discountchubbs: “Smooth on painted roads but a pass for me — too floaty and doesn’t commit to turns on unmarked roads.”
AB: “Based purely on vibes I don’t like this model as much as DTR6… more floaty and drifts more in lane.”
michael: “Too much sway for me — I had to pull over after the freeway and change to DTRv6.”
practicallybrandnew: “Stop and go with this is fantastic!!”
Falling Phoenix — Released Aug 14, 2025
Falling Phoenix — Released Aug 14, 2025
Falling Phoenix is a custom merge from discountchubbs, blending DTR, UV, and SL3v2 — specifically a trunk-weights blend of DTR and UV, followed by a merge with SL3v2. This combination aims to capture the best of each model’s strengths. Early impressions point to good unwind, strong performance on both marked and unmarked roads, confident low- and high-speed turns, and stable freeway handling. Some testers have noted the long feels slightly harsher than Space Lab’s, likening it to radar-style stopping, while others have observed occasional low-speed oversteer. Despite these quirks, lateral stability has been widely praised.
422415: “Absolutely love this so far on my EV6 w/ angle steering — probably my favorite model. Smooth as glass at 80 mph, held off ramps with ease.”
Michael: “Lat in city streets felt solid. Long was cool but a little stiff compared to Space Lab — feels like a hard barrier to the lead car.”
Discountchubbs: “Seemed to do pretty good on my no-laneline roads.”
Sunnyhaibin: “Made multiple hands-free 90-degree turns without any problems.”
Warren: “Quick test showed strong low-speed obstacle avoidance on unmarked roads, though some low-speed oversteer was noted.”
Model Comparison Table
| Model | Release Date | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Lab 3 v2 | Aug 8, 2025 | Smooth highway lateral, strong torque handling, reduced mid-turn jerk | Inconsistent city turn handling, occasional lane drift, throttle variability |
| UV Model | Aug 11, 2025 | Highly responsive long, excellent lane centering for some | Inconsistent lateral stability, over-aggressive launches, lane departures |
| Down to Ride v6 | Aug 12, 2025 | Excellent lateral control, balanced long with NNLC off | Ping-pong with NNLC on, still under wider evaluation |
| UV + DTR Model | Aug 13, 2025 | Smooth on painted roads, no ping-pong for some, strong stops | Floaty on unmarked roads, vision/stopping quirks, less confident than DTRv6 |
| Falling Phoenix | Aug 14, 2025 | Smooth highway handling, confident lateral, hybrid strengths, strong low- and high-speed turn handling, solid on no-laneline roads | Slightly harsher long than Space Lab, occasional low-speed oversteer, very new — quirks still emerging |
Where to get them: All models are available in Sunnypilot via the Model Switcher in the Model menu.