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A Miata is rear wheel drive, that's better for towing.

There is one crazy idiot out there who made a web site about the dangers of towing with a small car. As far as I can tell he made the site because he ran in to a car towing a trailer and he needed something to blame.

Personally I would only tow very light loads like something that just carries a set of race tires. For camping trips, fold down the rear seats and leave the trailer behind. A bike rack is a very good reason for a trailer hitch.

The smart move is to get a suitable tow vehicle if you have a big load to tow. If you are towing frequently, the Fiesta isn't a good choice. If its infrequent, renting a tow vehicle is cheap insurance.

 

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The strength of the brakes aren't a big issue, its the balance.

I had to do some heavy towing years ago and rented an F150 to do it. Before I left I did a brake check on a wide, empty road and with heavy but not quite emergency level braking, the trailer was starting to come around, like spinning a car with locked rears.

After I knew what could happen and what it would feel like, I made my trip at low speed, leaving lots of space between myself and the next car.

Any way, if you somehow manage to get negative tongue weight and do a panic stop you could spin and jack knife at the same time and not stop very well either.

So if you are going to tow, check your brakes and drive like you are towing.