100%. Every semi-serious cyclists would be running a power meter first and foremost (heck even average joes these days because most modern high-end road bikes come with one already). Far easier to do a 20min/ramp test every so often instead of trying to focus on VO2 max.
Yup, but as I said, it's nice to not focus on a single number. FTP doesn't tell how well I can recover after a hill at 120% of ftp, so even though I work on increasing my ftp, it's nice to keep in mind other aspects as well. Both vo2max, but also just how I feel when doing it, how my heart rate is during comparative rides, or even how well I'm fueling.
