The Ion? Wow, the Ion isn't that bad. The Ion has more going for it than the H2 or H3.
The H3 is heavy, underpowered, can't tow, can't haul, is ugly (subjective), is uncomfortable, and sucks gas like a redneck sucks beer. It just doesn't have any redeemable qualities. I think even YSS doesn't like it.
- The Ion was a bad attempt at a great idea, and although it wasn't
that bad is quad-coupe form, generally speaking, they were behind the competition. The Cobalt took the Delta platform and thankfully made the best out of it, as the Chevy is dozens of times better than its Saturn cousin.
- On the H3, it largely depends on the models in question. The early ones were a quick way to capitalize on the popularity of the H2, however, the later models with the more powerful I5s are an improvement both inside and out. My biggest criticism of the H3 has always been the lack of power and their decision to go without some kind of V8 power, but now that they are stuffing the 5.3L unit from the Tahoe in the H3 Alpha this year, its pretty much problem-solved for me. In terms of off-road capability, it has been proven by Car and Driver and Motor Trend to be among the best in its class (next-best being the Toyota FJ Cruiser), and a halfway decent successor to the H1 in terms of capability. A street-stock H3 just completed the Baja and won its class, and that certainly is a testament to its prowess off-road...
- On the subject of trucks in general, it largely depends on what you're looking for. For pickups, there is no doubting GM's dominance in that segment with the new GMT900s, but it is not as though Fords are all that bad either. The big problem is that Ford doesn't have enough BHP to make the rather heavy F-150 as competitive as it should be, as it is an otherwise nice-looking truck inside and out. The same thing can be said of their full-size cousins, as Ford pretty much faces the same situation again.
My philosophy with trucks has pretty much been the same for the past few years: If you're going to buy a truck and do truck-like things, by all means, buy a truck. That would mean that vehicles like the Honda Pilot or VW T'reg aren't reasonable 'replacements' for the Chevrolet Tahoe or Ford Expedition. Their body-on-frame stance tends to allow greater capability when it comes to towing and otherwise carrying crap, and they would generally be rated as 'tougher' vehicles based on their origin.
...That being said, my preference when it comes to SUVs largely leads me to the unibody crossovers in most instances, as I would be more interested in the space and AWD, but take that with reservation, looking for a car-like drive and fuel economy. Thereby, SUVs like the SRX, Outlook, Edge, X5, T'Reg, and yes even the oddly likable Patriot seem like reasonable alternatives to their larger brethren.
I dunno. It depends. My family usually goes for the 'trucks' end of the equation. I'm having a helluva time convincing my Grandfather to replace his Tahoe with an Outlook or Acadia, as he keeps looking at the horrendous Pilot and "I guess its better than the Pilot" MDX...
Having to choose I'd still rather have a crossover SUV. It does everything well and is comfortable...to me that is the REAL SUV. 
