If you have narrowed your luxury van search to two respected names, you are probably comparing Battisti Customs'' executive coach layouts with Ultimate Toys'' Ultimate Coach. Both are built on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, both are finished to a standard far above a shuttle van, and both make sense for very different buyers. This guide compares them on what is publicly documented — layouts, seating, chassis, customization, and warranty — and is explicit about what we cannot verify. Everything labeled a recommendation below is our editorial opinion, not the builders''.
Illustrative photo note: the hero image on this article shows Dufourfun''s own 2024 Ultimate Coach — an Ultimate Toys conversion we operate — and is not a Battisti product.
Who builds them
Battisti Customs is based in Elkhart, Indiana — the heart of the RV industry — and has been building custom Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversions since founding in 2009. The company operates a large in-house facility and is vertically integrated: CAD design, its own seat manufacturing, a wood shop, and even hydrographic printing for interior trim, according to dealer coverage of the company.
Ultimate Toys builds the Ultimate Coach in Loveland, Ohio, and sells direct through its own site. The company has revised the Ultimate Coach over multiple generations — the current layout is marketed as the Ultimate Coach VIII.
Layouts and seating: two different missions
This is the core difference, and it is worth stating plainly.
Battisti''s executive shuttle layouts are about moving people. Dealer listings describe floorplans in the 10-to-14-passenger range on the 170-inch wheelbase, with perimeter seating and a substantial rear luggage area — roughly 30" x 61" x 61" in one listed spec — designed for airport transfers and corporate shuttle duty. The body stays an unmodified OEM Sprinter shell — no cut-and-stretch — which keeps the vehicle on Mercedes'' original structure and wheelbase, as described in Coachwest''s Battisti overview.
The Ultimate Coach is about living in the vehicle. It seats 10 and sleeps 2, with an optional XL rear lavatory, a galley with sink, microwave, and refrigerator, a 32-inch smart TV with a rear-door HD LED display, and a sofa bed — all on the 170-inch EXT 3500XD diesel chassis, at 24''2" long, 9''6" tall, and 6''11" wide, per the official Ultimate Coach spec sheet. It tows up to 5,000 pounds.
| Category | Battisti Executive Coach layouts | Ultimate Toys Ultimate Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Primary mission | Passenger shuttle / client transport | Self-contained coach (day + overnight) |
| Seating | Up to ~14 passengers (dealer-listed floorplans) | 10 passengers, sleeps 2 |
| Chassis | Sprinter 170" wheelbase, unmodified OEM body | Sprinter 170" EXT 3500XD diesel |
| Lavatory | Not in standard executive shuttle layouts | Optional XL rear lavatory |
| Galley | Varies by custom build | Sink, microwave, refrigerator (per spec sheet) |
| Entertainment | Configurable | 32" smart TV + rear-door HD LED (43" on Executive) |
| Luggage | ~30" x 61" x 61" rear luggage area (one dealer listing) | Rear cargo area, sofa-bed layout |
| Customization | Fully custom, in-house seats/wood/trim | Trim packages (Premium, Premium Sport, Ultra Luxe) |
The Executive variant question
Ultimate Toys also sells an Ultimate Coach Executive that adds a full driver partition with a power window and intercom, plus a larger 43-inch TV at the partition — the configuration closer to Battisti''s chauffeured executive use case. If privacy between driver and cabin matters to you, compare Ultimate''s Executive layout directly against Battisti''s partitioned executive floorplans rather than the standard coach.
Customization and service
Battisti''s pitch is a genuinely custom build: because the company manufactures its own seats and finishes its own wood and trim in-house, dealer coverage describes a highly configurable build process. Ultimate''s approach is a refined standard product with trim packages, which means faster delivery and a known, proven layout — the current Ultimate Coach VIII generation revised the rear layout around a shortened lavatory and a relocated kitchenette.
On warranty and service, be careful and verify in writing. Dealer listings for Battisti-built Sprinters reference the standard Mercedes-Benz Sprinter coverage — three years or 36,000 miles, plus five years or 100,000 miles on engine and body paint. Ultimate Toys promotes its own service program alongside the chassis warranty on its spec page. Confirm the exact terms, what the converter adds beyond the chassis, and where service is performed directly with each builder before you commit — warranty language changes by model year and we cannot verify current terms from public listings.
What we can''t verify
Honesty section, as promised:
- Current pricing. Neither builder publishes MSRP on the pages we reviewed; conversions are priced per build.
- Current model-year details. Chassis options and packages change; both builders should confirm what is shipping today.
- Availability and lead times. Custom builds are typically ordered, not bought off a lot.
Our editorial take
Choose the Battisti executive coach layout if your primary use is moving clients and colleagues — airport runs, board meetings, event shuttles — and maximum seating with a large luggage bay is the priority.
Choose the Ultimate Coach if you want one vehicle that does the client dinner on Friday and the family overnight on Saturday: lavatory, galley, sleeping, and entertainment in a known layout.
If the second description sounds like you, note that our own 2024 Ultimate Coach is currently for sale — you can inspect an Ultimate Toys build in person rather than shopping from photos. And if neither stock layout fits, our custom van builder lets you spec a Sprinter conversion around your own requirements.
Photo credit: 2024 Ultimate Coach exterior, photo by Dufourfun Vans, used with permission. The van shown is our own Ultimate Toys conversion, shown for illustration only.
