I can see them balking at a test drive if you come in and say ‘hey, I want to order a 2018, can I drive that 2017 out there?’
I get your recalcitrance. This was the first vehicle I put money down on without driving first, but there weren’t any to drive! I did get to test drive before I dropped any more $$$ or signed any paperwork. I’m surprised my sales lady still speaks to me, and my wife was browbeating me to apologize, but for this kind of money, I was darn sure going to make sure I’d be happy with it.
If you’re just testing the road manners, be sure you test normal (eco) mode and sport mode, there’s a big difference in driving behavior. Also, I’m kind of fond of 4a as opposed to 2h as the default. when you change modes, 2h is the default for both normal and sport so give them a try. I bought in January and there was sand / salt on the roads. in 2h the truck just spun like crazy a lot of times, but 4a goes a long way to helping get the truck moving out sharply.
If you’re serious about purchasing from them they’ll let you test drive.