Carado CV595 X-Edition vs Sunlight IBEX 604D: the same 4x4 VW Crafter twice? Every difference, the real UK costs and the better buy

Two new 4x4 campervans, two badges, one factory. The Carado CV595 X-Edition and the Sunlight IBEX 604D both sit on a four-wheel-drive VW Crafter, both measure 599 cm long, and both have the same bed, the same fridge and the same heater. So is there any real difference, or are you just choosing a sticker set? We have gone through both official MY2027 price lists line by line, added up what sensible UK specs actually cost, and set out exactly where the money and the differences are.

Why these two vans are so alike

Carado and Sunlight are both brands of the Erwin Hymer Group, and they share an address: Ölmühlestraße 6 in Leutkirch, Germany. According to Capron, both the CV595 X-Edition and the IBEX 604D are built at its plant in Neustadt, Saxony. That is not a secret or a scandal. It is how large motorhome groups work. Developing a 4x4 campervan on a 3,500 kg Crafter is expensive, and selling it under two brands with different styling and different dealer networks spreads that cost.

Sunlight calls the IBEX the off-road flagship of its range. Carado pitches the CV595 as the best value in its entry segment, and describes it as its first model based on the VW Crafter. Same hardware, two stories. Your job as a buyer is to set the stories aside and look at the lists.

One quick note on names. Sunlight's 2027 range also includes a Ford-based IBEX 603D on the Ford Transit with a 165 PS engine, listed at €74,999 in Germany. That is a different van on a different base and is not part of this comparison. When we say IBEX here, we mean the VW Crafter IBEX 604D.

What both vans share

Every hardware line on the two official price lists, valid from 1 August 2026, matches. In plain terms, this is the van you get either way:

• Base vehicle: VW Crafter, 3,500 kg gross, 2.0 TDI producing 120 kW (163 PS), 4MOTION all-wheel drive, 8-speed automatic gearbox. Uprating to 3.88 t is available on both.
• Size: 599 cm long, 204 cm wide, 272 cm high, with 198 cm of standing height inside. Wheelbase 364 cm. Tyres 235/65 R16 C.
• Towing: 3,000 kg braked.
• Seats and beds: four belted seats, two to three berths. The rear bed is a transverse bed of 200 x 136 cm, made possible by rear widening panels that push the sleeping space out beyond the standard van width.
• Kitchen: an 84 L pull-out compressor fridge.
• Heating: Truma Combi 4 diesel heater as standard, so no gas is needed for warmth.
• Water: 90 L fresh (with a 20 L travel fill), 70 L waste.
• Gas: one 5 kg bottle.
• Electrics: 95 Ah AGM leisure battery as standard.
• Protection: stone-chip protection and a seven-year water-ingress warranty.

That is the whole van, mechanically and functionally. Peel off the decals and swap the upholstery, and you would struggle to tell them apart.

Every difference that actually matters

The differences all live in the price lists, the option packs and the decor. Here they are, one by one, with German and UK prices.

Base price

Carado: €88,599 plus a mandatory €189 for registration papers in Germany (the €88,599 starting price is also shown on Carado's own website), or £87,890 on the road in the UK. Carado's UK figure includes delivery from Germany, registration and pre-delivery inspection, but excludes any import duties. Sunlight IBEX 604D: €87,999 in Germany, £86,690 in the UK.

So before you tick a single box, the IBEX is £1,200 cheaper in the UK and €789 cheaper in Germany once the Carado's paperwork fee is included. That is worth knowing, because Carado is the brand that talks about value.

Weight and payload

Mass in running order is 3,066 kg for the Carado (with an 84 kg allowance for options) and 3,062 kg for the IBEX (88 kg allowance). Four kilograms is nothing in practice, but it does give the IBEX the tiniest edge on paper.

Here is the sum that matters more than either badge. Take 3,500 kg, subtract the running weight (which already includes a 75 kg driver and 20 L of water), then subtract three more adults at 75 kg each. That leaves 209 kg on the Carado and 213 kg on the IBEX for everything else: clothes, food, bikes, the other 70 L that fills the water tank, and any options you have added. With four adults aboard, both vans are tight. The 3.88 t uprate eases that, but it takes you past the 3,500 kg limit that matters for a standard car licence and for some tolls and parking rules, so decide early which side of that line you want to live on.

The off-road pack and the light bar

This is the single biggest difference and the one that decides most of the sums. Both brands offer an off-road pack with a differential lock, hill-start and hill-descent assist, and 18-inch off-road tyres.

• Carado: €5,999 / £5,140, adds 33.5 kg, and does not include a roof light bar. The LED light bar is a separate option at €1,299 / £1,110.
• IBEX: €6,999 / £6,280, adds 37.5 kg, and includes the light bar.

So the IBEX pack is £1,140 dearer in the UK, but it bundles a £1,110 item. If you want the look and the night-time usefulness of the light bar, the two packs are effectively the same money. If you only want the diff lock and the tyres and have no interest in the light bar, the Carado pack is cheaper. On paper the IBEX pack is also 4 kg heavier.

Heating upgrade

Both come with a Truma Combi 4 diesel heater. The bigger Combi 6 DE is an option on both, and here the gap is wide: €1,299 / £1,110 on the Carado against €699 / £630 on the IBEX. That is a £480 saving in the IBEX's favour for the same heater.

Cab blackout

The Carado comes with folding cab blackout as standard. The IBEX has fabric cab blinds as standard and charges €659 / £590 for the folding blackout. This is the one area where the Carado's standard spec is genuinely richer, and if you plan on winter sleeping or want a properly dark cab, you need to add it to the IBEX price.

Roof air conditioning

A 1,700 W roof air conditioning unit is available on the IBEX at €1,595 / £1,430. It is not offered on the Carado at all. If summer touring in southern Europe is the plan, this is a clear reason to pick the IBEX, because there is no price at which you can tick it on the Carado list.

Smaller options

Several options cost exactly the same in euros and differ only slightly in sterling, with the IBEX a touch dearer in the UK:

• Lithium battery: €999 on both. UK £860 Carado, £900 IBEX.
• Heated waste tank: €599 on both. UK £510 Carado, £540 IBEX.
• Winter pack: €799 on both. UK £680 Carado, £720 IBEX.
• Assistance packs: identical euro prices, UK slightly dearer on the IBEX.

These are small sums, a few tens of pounds each, and they are easily outweighed by the bigger swings on the base price and the Combi 6.

Paint

Carado offers two paint options, both at €1,299 / £1,110. Sunlight offers three on the IBEX, from €1,299 to €1,799 (£1,170 to £1,610). More choice on the IBEX, slightly cheaper per colour on the Carado.

Styling

The Carado wears its own X-Edition design decals and uses a Forest Shadow interior with Visby oak. The IBEX wears topographic decals and a Performance Grey scheme. Neither is a cost difference, but for a lot of buyers the look is the decider, so see both in daylight before you choose.

The UK totals for sensible specs

Now the useful bit. These are straight sums from the official UK price lists. They do not include dealer discounts, which may well exist on a new model sold by two brands sharing a factory, so treat them as list-price comparisons rather than final bills.

Base van, nothing added

Carado £87,890. IBEX £86,690. IBEX cheaper by £1,200.

Base van plus off-road pack

Carado £93,030. IBEX £92,970. IBEX cheaper by £60, and the IBEX includes the light bar at that price.

Add the light bar to the Carado so the two are like for like and the Carado becomes £94,140, which is £1,170 more than the IBEX.

Winter adventure spec

Off-road pack with light bar, Winter pack, Combi 6 DE heater, heated waste tank, lithium battery, and folding cab blackout on the IBEX so both vans have it:

• Carado: £87,890 + £5,140 + £1,110 + £680 + £1,110 + £510 + £860 = £97,300
• IBEX: £86,690 + £6,280 + £720 + £630 + £540 + £900 + £590 = £96,350

The IBEX wins by £950 even after paying for folding blackout that the Carado includes as standard. The Combi 6 saving and the lower base price outweigh the slightly dearer small options.

Summer spec with air conditioning

Only one van can do this. IBEX plus roof air conditioning is £88,120. The Carado has no equivalent, so there is nothing to compare it with.

How the sums look in Germany

For anyone buying across the Channel, the picture tilts a little. Including the Carado's €189 paperwork fee, the base prices are €88,788 against €87,999, so the IBEX is €789 cheaper. Add the off-road packs and it becomes €94,787 for the Carado against €94,998 for the IBEX, so the Carado is €211 cheaper, but without the light bar. Add the bar to the Carado and it rises to €96,086, more than €1,000 above the IBEX.

In other words, in Germany the Carado is only cheaper for one specific buyer: someone who wants the diff lock and off-road tyres but does not want a light bar. Everyone else pays less for the IBEX, and the Combi 6 pricing widens that gap for winter users.

What the press makes of them

This section is opinion, reported from published coverage rather than our own testing.

explorer magazine looked at the two vans and found differences only in colour, decor and small furniture details. autozeitung expects only upholstery and decor to separate them. motor1 put it more simply: the IBEX looks more adventurous and the Carado more restrained. None of the coverage identifies a mechanical or layout difference, which matches what the price lists show.

CamperVans Magazin tested the IBEX and liked the pull-out fridge and the way the van handled. It was less kind about some details: a 19 cm spacing between the hob burners, plastic wall panels, a mattress it found shorter than stated, and loud all-terrain tyres. Because the hardware is shared, those points are likely to apply to the Carado too. If any of them bothers you, take a tape measure to the showroom, check the bed and the hob for yourself, and ask whether the demonstrator is on the standard tyres or the 18-inch off-road set from the pack.

Same bed, same hob, same fridge, same tyres. Praise for one van is praise for the other, and so is criticism.

Right-hand drive and the dealer question

This is where the choice may be made for you.

Both vans have official UK price lists. For the Carado, UK dealers include Camper UK in Lincoln and Southdowns in Portsmouth, but at the time of writing right-hand drive for the CV595 X-Edition has not been confirmed.

For the IBEX, Continental Caravans lists a right-hand drive UK specification van. Cara Motorhomes and Kenmore Caravans both list it from £86,690, and one dealer says deliveries start in September or October 2026. Sunlight's own UK price list does not state the drive side, so ask the dealer to confirm it in writing before you place a deposit.

If right-hand drive matters to you, and for most UK buyers of a van this size it does, the IBEX currently has the clearer path. If you are comfortable with left-hand drive, or your nearest dealer only handles Carado, the picture changes. With a seven-year water-ingress warranty to keep up, a good dealer within an hour of home is worth more than a few hundred pounds on list price.

Things that do not add up, and what to check

Three loose ends appear in the public coverage, and all three are worth raising with a dealer.

1. Height. Some press coverage quotes 2.85 to 2.94 m, while both official lists say 272 cm. The gap could come from measuring with or without roof fittings, or from an early prototype figure. If you have a height barrier at home or a favourite car park, measure the actual van you are buying, especially with a light bar or roof air conditioning fitted.
2. Berths. One dealer lists the IBEX as a four-berth. Both official lists say two to three. Do not plan on four sleeping unless the dealer can show you where the fourth bed is and what it is made of.
3. Suspension. One dealer lists the IBEX with a raised suspension. Neither official list mentions it. If raised suspension matters to you, get it in writing on the order, with a part number or a pack name.

Beyond those, the sensible pre-order checklist for either van is:

• Confirm drive side, delivery date and whether the price includes delivery, registration and PDI.
• Decide now whether you will stay at 3,500 kg or uprate to 3.88 t, because it affects your licence, your insurance quote and your payload planning.
• Ask for the final mass in running order of your specified van, with your chosen options, not the brochure figure.
• Measure the bed, look at the hob spacing with your own pans in mind, and ask which tyres are fitted.
• If you want the light bar, price it on both lists before assuming the Carado pack is the cheap one.
• Compare the two brands' dealer locations against where you actually live.

Which is better value, and for whom

This is our judgement from the list prices, not a lab test.

The IBEX 604D is the better value for most UK buyers. It starts £1,200 cheaper, its Combi 6 upgrade is £480 cheaper, its off-road pack includes the light bar, and it is the only one of the two with roof air conditioning. Even after paying for folding cab blackout, a fully loaded winter spec is £950 cheaper. It also has the clearer right-hand drive story today.

The Carado CV595 X-Edition makes sense in two cases. First, if you want the diff lock and off-road tyres but genuinely do not want a light bar on the roof. In the UK that Carado is still £60 dearer than an IBEX with the bar, but in Germany it is €211 cheaper. Second, and most practically, if Camper UK or Southdowns is your local dealer and the Sunlight dealers are a long drive away. The Carado's look is also more restrained, which some buyers will prefer, and folding cab blackout comes as standard, though the IBEX is still £610 cheaper on base price after adding it.

Neither is the answer if you want air conditioning on a Carado, because it simply is not on the Carado list, or if you are set on carrying four adults plus heavy kit at 3,500 kg, because both vans leave only around 210 kg for that once the people are aboard.

The bottom line

Carado and Sunlight have built the same 4x4 Crafter campervan twice and dressed it differently. The hardware is identical down to the tyre size and the 20 L travel fill. What separates them is a few hundred pounds here and there, one pack that bundles a light bar, one heater upgrade that is far cheaper on the IBEX, one air conditioning option that only the IBEX offers, and the question of which dealer and which drive side you can actually get.

Add it all up and the Sunlight IBEX 604D is the cheaper van in almost every sensible UK specification. The Carado CV595 X-Edition earns its place for the buyer who wants the diff lock without a light bar, prefers the quieter look, or has a Carado dealer down the road. Choose on those grounds, confirm the drive side and the weight in writing, and you will end up with the right van, whichever badge is on the front.