The Chevy Traverse nameplate now spans three generations, and the jump from the second-gen to the current third-gen model brought a fresh look that changes how the RS trim reads on the street. Since the newest version is really a heavy reskin of the one before it, the dimensions barely moved, which makes a straight exterior comparison genuinely useful for anyone weighing the two.

• The current front end goes taller and blacked-out, ditching chrome for a squared-off grille and a stacked lighting setup Chevy calls “high brow.”
• A sharkfin C-pillar and new wheels give the side profile a floating-roof look the old model didn’t have.
• Out back, bigger tail lamps and a quad-tip exhaust replace the previous dual-tip setup, while cargo room stays nearly identical.

A quick note before the walk-around. The last-gen Traverse got a mid-cycle refresh for the 2022 model year, and that refreshed version is the fair benchmark here. The two generations even overlapped during 2024, when the older one was sold as the Traverse Limited before Chevy finished the switchover for 2025.

The Front End Tells the Whole Story

Start up top. Both trims wear thin daytime running lights on either side of a blacked-out grille, with a small indentation breaking up each light strip. The current grille stands more upright and squares off at the corners, so it simply looks bigger and more planted. The RS badge, short for Rally Sport, sits on the lower half of that grille.

Below the DRLs runs a solid bar that stretches across the fascia. The old model had one too, but the new version makes it far more prominent. Both keep a black bow tie perched just above the forward-facing camera. The real headlamps live out at the outer edges, and while the C-shaped bezel around them no longer lights up the way it did before, the painted C-shape stands out more than ever. Chevy designers describe this two-tier arrangement as “high brow,” with a slim DRL up top and the working headlight mounted below.

The biggest shift is what’s missing. There’s no chrome anywhere on the current RS fascia. That falls in line with the RS and RST playbook, which swaps bright trim for black or gloss black. Add the more upright gloss black lower bumper and a busier lower grille with extra horizontal slats, and the newer face comes across as more rugged. It also fits neatly with the rest of the Chevy family, a design direction that kicked off with the 2019 Blazer and spread to the Trailblazer, Trax, Equinox, Tahoe, and Suburban.

Side Profile and the Floating Roof

From the A-pillar forward, the greenhouse shape carries over. Move toward the back and things change. The bottom of the greenhouse drops its old upward kink for a flatter line, and the glass ahead of and behind the C-pillar now reads as one piece. All of that supports the sharkfin C-pillar, which gives the current Traverse its floating-roof effect.

The wheels stay gloss black but pick up a new spoke pattern that nods to the fifth-gen Camaro Z28. Black mirror caps replace the body-color versions from before. And here’s a fun bit of trivia. The updated RS is about 1.5 inches shorter than the outgoing model even though the wheelbase is essentially the same. Engineers chalk the visual difference up to a slightly wider track rather than any real length change.

A Bolder Rear With Four Tips

The tail is an evolution rather than a clean-sheet redo. The center-mounted comms fin stays put, the roof rails and top spoiler remain black, and the edges of the rear glass keep their dark finish. The tail lamps are where your eye lands. They’re larger and more expressive, with a new spin on Chevy’s signature Y graphic.

Lower down, a gloss black bumper houses horizontal reflectors and a reverse light, and the exhaust jumps from two tips to four. Cargo space barely budges, sliding from 23 cubic feet to 22.9. You give up a tenth of a cubic foot and get a much sharper rear in return.

Picking the Traverse That Fits Your Driveway

If you like a clean, understated three-row SUV, the refreshed second-gen still holds up. If you want something that reads bolder and pulls a few more glances at the pickup line, the current Chevy Traverse RS makes the stronger case. The changes go a little deeper than looks too, since the new model runs a turbocharged 2.5-liter four in place of the old 3.6-liter V6 and rides on GM’s updated C1-2 platform. Pricing has crept up along the way, with the 2025 RS starting at $55,495 and the 2026 climbing to $57,295. For shoppers deciding whether the newer face is worth it, the exterior alone gives you plenty to chew on.