WATCH: Brave or reckless? Toyota Hilux driver takes on river while towing a caravan

A potentially reckless and expensive water crossing went the opposite way for a Toyota Hilux driver and his family.

This comes after a video went viral on social media of a Hilux driver attempting to cross a waterway.

While the date of the incident is unknown, or indeed the location, the two minute 12 second clip has attracted both amazement and widespread condemnation from the 4×4 community.

In the clip, the driver, for some reason, opts to abandon the clearly visible pontoon carrying a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado behind in favour of risking a drive through the water whilst towing an off-road caravan.

Despite the water being over the bonnet at one stage, and more than likely through the interior, the Hilux carries on until getting momentarily stuck.

Judging by the spinning rear wheels, the driver had either failed to engage four-wheel-drive or attempted to cross the obstacle in a conventional two-wheel-drive Hilux.

Reference can be heard in the clip to the Hilux’s anti-skid or traction control system, which seemingly remained on during the crossing and therefore a likely reason for the loss momentum.

Once again, it seems plausible that the driver has not engaged high range four-wheel-drive as the rear wheels continue spinning.

A quick reverse and gunning of the accelerator however frees the Hilux and caravan with audible cheers ringing it out vehicle reaches terra firma without any visible damage.

Posted on Tuesday by Facebook user Renier Claassens, the clip has so far been shared 1 017 times and elicited comments of approval but also backlash with a translated version of one reading, “Very stupid. You don’t drive through water with closed windows, especially when you are going that deep. Probably a 4×4 newbie”.